Readers of The Sector share their stories of working for Genius Childcare 

A number of readers of The Sector have reached out for guidance, help and support as they continue to face challenges of late payment, underpayment, or missing superannuation in the course of their employment with early childhood provider Genius Childcare. 

 

In some instances employees have been asked to leave their services abruptly, unable to say goodbye to children and families they have worked with for many years, leaving them emotionally distressed and concerned about the psychological impact to the children in their care.

 

All names in this story have been altered to provide anonymity to the employees and contractors, who have spoken out in the hopes of gaining attention and support as they continue to seek their entitlements. 

 

It is currently believed that 13 Genius services in Victoria, New South Wales, the ACT and South Australia have closed with little to no notice. The latest centre to close was in the Perth suburb of Hamilton Hill, news.com.au reports, with parents being sent a message on 4 March 2025 saying the centre would close for the day due to staffing issues, before being informed on 9 March 2025 that the service would be closed until further notice.

 

Six weeks of pay, missing pay slips, late fees

 

One NSW educator reached out to The Sector regarding unpaid wages following the sudden closure of her service, expressing her “deep concern” about the multiple follow up calls and emails made to both management and the payroll team at Genius which had gone unheeded.

 

The non-payment was especially concerning, the educator said, given that she had only recently moved to the now closed service due to the closure of another Genius service where she was working previously, leaving her with unpaid wages from both sites.  

 

“I have always remained loyal to the company, understanding that there are sometimes unforeseen issues that can arise,” Anne* said. 

 

“However, the ongoing failure to address this situation is causing significant worry. At this point, it’s becoming difficult to continue working with the stress and anxiety that I am facing.”

 

For fellow Genius employee Sarah*, who worked as a Centre Manager for the group, the non payment of her educator team has proved particularly distressing. 

 

“This has been the most challenging and distressing professional experience I have ever encountered,” she shared candidly. 

 

“I am deeply concerned by the numerous pleas from my team, who are struggling to meet basic needs such as feeding their families, purchasing formula for their children, and paying bills. Payroll delays, which can range from three days to two weeks, are causing immense financial and emotional strain on employees.”

 

Sarah was critical of what she called “the lack of transparency and accountability” from senior management at Genius, saying that her team is reporting that payment “seems to depend on the amount of pressure or “fuss” made by individuals, creating an unfair and chaotic system.”  

 

“We remain committed to our roles because we care deeply about the families we serve, but the ongoing financial and mental strain on employees is unsustainable. Many exceptional services are losing talented team members due to these unresolved issues,” she said.  

 

“I am pleading for intervention from anyone who can hold Genius Childcare accountable for these delays and advocate for fair compensation to support the hardworking educators in this already undervalued industry (sic.).”

 

Lead educator Bronwyn* shared with The Sector her experience not only as a lead educator for Genius, but also as a parent with a child attending a Genius centre. 

 

“In the beginning I found Genius childcare too good to be true,” she said.

 

“Generous hourly rates, 3 month sign on bonus, extremely discounted staff childcare fees (but) since beginning employment in October 2024 I have received late wages every single fortnight, some being 3-5 days later. There have been times we will receive a payslip and not receive our wages for up to 3-5 days later.”

 

“At one stage I had Genius accounts giving me late fees due to late payments on my childcare fees as I simply could not afford to pay them on time as I wasn’t receiving my wages on time from them,” she added.

 

Superannuation issues

 

Genius is currently being pursued by the United Workers Union on behalf of workers in five different states over unpaid superannuation, with the case due to be heard in the Federal Circuit Court in April.

 

The union is understood to be seeking fines of up to $18 million from Genius Education Group and its two subsidiaries for six alleged law breaches, in addition to almost $1.2 million against its sole director, Darren Misquitta.

 

The union further estimates an alleged unpaid superannuation bill of $7 million.

 

A number of educators in contact with The Sector said that while their payslips included a superannuation payment, the balance in their accounts did not match, with some employees appearing to be owed up to $1,000. 

 

Contractors and suppliers also impacted

 

Contractors and suppliers have also been impacted by the allegations of underpayment, with The Sector in contact with a recruiter who supplied casual educators to Genius’ Canberra services, as well as contractors who undertook trade work for services and who have invoices which remain outstanding. 

 

“Despite multiple attempts to resolve this amicably, we are now left with no option but to escalate our complaint to ASIC, AFP and the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA),” the recruiter said. 

 

“However, we believe that public awareness and media attention are crucial in holding Genius Childcare accountable and ensuring businesses like ours are not left to suffer.”

 

Genius Education now operates under the name ‘Abacus 49 Pty Ltd’. Some educators impacted by the non-payment or late payment of wages have launched a GoFundMe campaign to try and cover costs.

 

Elements of this story were drawn from coverage in The ABC and on news.com.au