The Allan Labor Government is facing serious questions over its handling of the Cameron Bloomfield scandal after a government website continued promoting a convicted child sex offender as a Disability Pride Champion until yesterday, nearly two weeks after the controversy became national news.
Parliamentary Secretary for Disability Iwan Walters’ website was still celebrating Cameron Bloomfield as an Allan Labor Government Disability Pride Champion. Following questions from the Liberals and Nationals in State Parliament, Bloomfield’s name was removed before the entire release disappeared from the website.
The Department of Families, Fairness and Housing awarded Bloomfield its Disability Pride Champion Award in December 2024 despite his publicly available convictions for indecent assault, committing an indecent act with a child under 16, and attempting to procure sex with a child under 16. Nominees for the award were required to submit a police check consent form.
The award was not rescinded until December 2025, a full year after it was presented.
When questioned in Parliament yesterday, Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn said only that the department had “made an error” and that the award had been rescinded.
Shadow Minister for Disability, Ageing, Carers and Volunteers, Jade Benham, said Victorians deserved far better.
“Twelve days after this scandal became public, a government website was still celebrating this man as someone who exemplified the best of Victoria. It took questions in Parliament for the content to finally be removed,” Ms Benham said.
“A department responsible for supporting vulnerable Victorians handed an award to a registered child sex offender, allowed that mistake to stand for a full year, and then dismissed it as simply ‘an error’.
“Victorians deserve answers about how this happened, when the government became aware of it, and why it took so long to act.”
“A Liberal and Nationals Government will improve award vetting processes to ensure situations such as this do not occur and that perpetrators are called out rather than celebrated.”
