Content warning: This article discusses allegations of child sexual abuse.

Australian Federal Police have released images of distinctive children’s clothing as part of an ongoing effort to identify 22 children who investigators believe may have been affected in one of Australia’s largest alleged child abuse investigations involving a childcare worker.

The appeal forms part of Operation Moonbi, a long-running investigation into former childcare worker Hamish Alexander Edward Tait, 35, who has been charged with hundreds of child sex offences alleged to have occurred between 2009 and 2025.

Tait has been charged with 329 offences relating to more than 150 children. The allegations have not been tested in court, and he remains presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty according to Australian law.

Police say they have now identified 136 alleged child victims and have contacted their families, but investigators are continuing to seek assistance from the public to identify another 22 children believed to appear in material recovered during the investigation.

Rather than releasing identifiable images of children, investigators have published photographs of distinctive clothing allegedly worn by some of the unidentified children.

The Australian Federal Police said the clothing includes a puffer vest featuring a dinosaur or dinosaur skeleton pattern believed to have been photographed at a childcare centre in Rouse Hill on 26 June 2023.

Other released items include patterned shorts and a T-shirt displaying animal designs believed to have been photographed between February 2020 and March 2024 at another Rouse Hill childcare centre, along with a distinctive two-tone T-shirt believed to have been photographed at a childcare centre in Putney in January 2018.

Investigators hope parents, carers, former educators or members of the community may recognise the clothing and help identify the remaining children.

AFP Detective Acting Inspector Emmanuel Tsardoulias said even small pieces of information could assist investigators.

“Any information, big or small, may assist the victim identification process,” she said while urging anyone with relevant information to contact investigators.

She acknowledged that developments in the investigation had been deeply distressing for affected families and the wider community.

“The abuse of trust we allege has occurred is confronting,” she said.

According to police, Operation Moonbi began in June 2025 after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) provided information relating to the alleged online upload of child abuse material.

Investigators subsequently identified Tait as a person of interest and executed search warrants at his home in Glossodia in Sydney’s north-west.

Police allege electronic devices seized during those searches contained approximately 2.4 million electronic files, including a substantial quantity of child abuse material.

The digital evidence has formed the basis of an investigation that has continued for more than a year and involved specialist forensic analysts, victim identification experts and child protection investigators.

According to the AFP, investigators have executed 12 search warrants and devoted thousands of investigative hours to determining the full extent of the alleged offending and identifying every child potentially affected.

Tait has remained in custody since his arrest in July 2025 and has not applied for bail.

His identity was initially suppressed under a court non-publication order while investigators worked to identify children depicted in the alleged material and notify their families before the case became public.

Police had sought to publicly identify Tait several weeks earlier, arguing that naming him and his workplaces would help locate additional potential victims.

However, the suppression order was temporarily extended after defence lawyers argued publication could create risks to Tait’s safety in custody and adversely affect members of his family.

The order was later lifted after Judge Stuart Devine concluded he was not persuaded that identifying the accused would create incurable prejudice to any future jury trial.

The judge also accepted police submissions that continuing the suppression order could hinder efforts to identify additional alleged victims.

Following the lifting of the order, the AFP publicly identified Tait and released details of childcare centres and organisations where he had worked or attended over many years.

Police allege offending occurred at only a limited number of those locations, while emphasising that many other listed workplaces are included solely because investigators are tracing Tait’s employment history and seeking to identify any additional children who may require support.

The investigation has prompted one of the largest victim notification exercises undertaken by the AFP.

Acting Commander Luke Needham said specially trained officers had contacted affected families throughout Australia and overseas, while support services had been made available for children and relatives identified during the investigation.

Police stressed that protecting victims remains their highest priority throughout the ongoing criminal proceedings.

Authorities have also urged families not to assume that attendance at a listed childcare centre necessarily means a child was affected.

Instead, investigators are encouraging parents with questions to seek information through official police channels rather than relying on speculation circulating online.

Child protection experts note that investigations involving large quantities of digital evidence frequently take many months because each image or file must be carefully examined, victims identified wherever possible and evidence assessed before charges are finalised.

The process often requires close cooperation between Australian police agencies and international partners, particularly where online material has crossed national borders.

Authorities say victim identification is one of the most important aspects of these investigations because it allows children and families to receive appropriate welfare, counselling and legal support, even when the alleged offences occurred many years earlier.

The AFP has continued to emphasise that members of the public may still be able to assist by recognising the distinctive clothing released this week or by providing information relevant to the investigation.

Investigators say every credible lead will be assessed as they continue efforts to identify the remaining children and prepare the extensive criminal case for future court proceedings.

The allegations against Tait have not yet been determined by a court, and the criminal proceedings remain ongoing.