"Right now, there is grief, fear, and deep anxiety among parents of young children": that's what the CEO of not-for-profit, The Parenthood, told a New South Wales parliamentary inquiry into early childcare education yesterday.

The inquiry also heard that a childcare operator in the state was awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars in government grants, despite its alleged breaches of regulation. 

Allegations levelled at the operator include that an anaphylactic child was fed a known allergen, babies were allowed to fall out of cots, and a lost child was found inside a washing machine.

• Guest: Georgie Dent, CEO, The Parenthood
• Producer: Jason Whittaker