The grandmother of a three-year-old girl left on a Central Queensland bus for up to six hours on Wednesday says the family are "mortified" by the incident.
Key points:
- Paramedics performed CPR on Nevaeh Austin to revive her
- The three-year-old was flown to Brisbane overnight in a critical condition, but is now in a stable condition
- Police say childcare centre staff are "cooperating to a degree" and have sought legal advice
Pamela Parker said her granddaughter Nevaeh Austin was now "breathing on her own" but the family wanted answers.
The toddler remains in intensive care in an stable condition at the Queensland Children's Hospital after she was revived on the floor of Le Smileys childcare centre yesterday afternoon in Gracemere, south of Rockhampton.
Ms Parker said she is angry and doesn't understand how it happened.
"You expect that child to come home happy, healthy — maybe dirty or a little bit hungry — but you expect them to come home," Ms Parker said.
"You do not expect a phone call saying 'I'm sorry'. That doesn't cut it. It's not good enough.
"This is a little girl. She's someone's daughter. She's someone's granddaughter. She's someone's sister. She's someone's best friend.
It comes after police revealed Nevaeh was the only child driven on the Central Queensland childcare centre bus before she was left inside for about six hours yesterday afternoon.
Prognosis looking positive
Ms Parker said she would fight to ensure this never happens again.
"I'll make sure this never happens again. I'll die fighting for it. I will give up my life for my grandchildren. I'll give up my life for my children," she said.
Ms Parker said her granddaughter's prognosis was looking positive.
"She's doing all right and she's tired, but she's here, she's breathing on her own, she's her happy self."
She described Nevaeh as an outgoing and energetic three-year-old.
"She's cheeky. She loves people. She loves to make noise. She likes makeup — typical three-year-old.
"She'll stop and talk to the workmen about how their day is, tell them what truck they're driving and tell them 'have a good day," she said.
Detective Inspector Darrin Shadlow said two staff from Le Smileys Early Learning Centre got off the bus without Nevaeh about 9:00am yesterday.
He said she was found unconscious six hours later when staff went to use the bus for the after-school pick up at about 3:00pm.
"It would appear that Nevaeh was the only child on the bus at the time," he said.
"Obviously, when they returned to the centre, the driver and one other person who were in the bus at the time, have forgotten that she was there.
"It would appear there were some breaches of procedures … and a young child is fighting for their life."
Nevaeh was taken into the centre, where paramedics performed CPR to revive her.
She was transported to the Rockhampton Hospital, and was then flown to Brisbane overnight.
Detective Inspector Shadlow did not want to speculate as to whether Nevaeh would make a full recovery.
"She was in quite a serious condition last night, I believe that has stabilised a bit," he said.
"She is still critical, but thankfully stable."
'Left in second row'
Detective Inspector Shadlow said Nevaeh had been picked up from a Gracemere home in the morning and was sitting in the second row of the bus with her bag when she was left behind.
It was parked in front of the centre, next to the front entrance.
"We will leave no stone unturned in relation to the investigations," he said.
"We will also have photographic and our scientific, forensic officers attending the scene [today], just so we can cover every base and get to the bottom of exactly what has happened."
The team will also look at who was coming and going from the centre throughout the day.
"We will potentially look further afield than just the driver and the support worker," he said.
Detective Inspector Shadlow believed the bus was owned by the centre and both adults that were on there worked for the centre.
The centre was cordoned off by police this morning and it was not clear when it would reopen.
"We've declared a crime scene on the bus at the childcare centre at this stage," Detective Inspector Shadlow said.
"The childcare centre will not be operating until we've released that crime scene, which could be a couple of days."
Staff cooperating 'to a degree'
Detective Inspector Shadlow said the staff involved were "cooperating to a degree", but legal advice had been sought.
"We all pray for a full recovery of Nevaeh," he said.
"[The family] are obviously distraught … and are with Nevaeh in Brisbane."
Queensland Ambulance Service operations supervisor Jason Thompson said yesterday that paramedics treated her on the floor of the childcare centre.
"I get goosebumps just as I speak about it now," Mr Thompson said.
"When a child is sick, it's traumatic, and when one is as critical and unconscious, your heart goes out to them."
The incident comes two years after three-year-old Malik Nicholas Floyd Namok-Malamoo died after he was found on a Goodstart Early Learning centre bus at Edmonton, south of Cairns.
Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick said it was important to let police complete their investigation.
"Whether you're running a daycare centre, whether you're running a childcare centre or a kindergarten, whether you're a mum or dad, anyone who's got the care of children has a very simple rule to follow when their children are in a vehicle: 'Look before you lock'," he said.
"That is a very simple rule and I think for many of us we're finding it hard to understand how this incident could have occurred again."
Queensland Education Minister Grace Grace said the campaign to reduce incidence of children being left on buses had been successful.
"As a result of this campaign, we have seen the numbers of children being left on buses significantly reducing," she said.
Ms Grace said her department, which acts as the regulatory authority, was working closely with the police on the matter.
"The regulatory authority does not hesitate to take serious action when services fail to ensure children's health and safety, and where other tragic incidents have occurred, the necessary action has been taken," she said.
Changes made after Cairns child's death
Australian Childcare Alliance Queensland president Majella Fitzsimmons said the Queensland government updated legislation after Malik's death.
She said childcare centres must have policies and procedures for transporting children on the bus and staff need to complete a risk assessment and be retrained each quarter.
She said most childcare buses were used to help vulnerable and disadvantaged families who do not live on a bus route or do not have cars to get their children to daycare.
"It is so important for these children to attend early learning services in that zero-to-five years for that brain development and early intervention," Ms Fitzsimmons said.
Federal Assistant Minister for Children and Families, Michelle Landry, who is also the local member, called for a major review of childcare centres.
"Childcare centres need to follow what they are supposed to do," she told ABC Radio Brisbane.
"You don't expect your child to be left in a vehicle and then now today she's in a Brisbane hospital.
"This is inconceivable that this has happened again and how it happened."
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2022-05-05 08:12:45Z
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