An employee told Nine News the mother ran into the The Brook hotel after finding the baby unresponsive mid-afternoon and called for help. Several staff from the neighbouring medical centre rushed to help the boy, before emergency services arrived. A sign in the car park near the Point Cook venue where the child was found in the car. Credit:Nine News The boy was then treated by paramedics outside the pub, which was roped off by police and remained closed throughout the afternoon. He was then rushed to the Royal Children's Hospital, where he remained in a critical-but-stable condition on Thursday afternoon.

The venue, which has signs in the car park warning parents not to leave their kids in vehicles, is described as a family bistro and sports bar with a kids area and cafe. North West Metro Region Commander Tim Hansen said that given the matter was before the courts he could not comment on the specifics of the case. When asked whether the woman who has been charged was inside playing the pokies at the time, he said: "We are investigating that, the activities of the mother is part of that investigation and certainly something we are considering." He said the child had sustained "significant injuries". "In relation to the advice as we go forward into the summer – look, this is concerning. I just don't know how much messaging authorities need to do about the risks and the dangers of leaving attended children in cars," he said.

"It doesn't matter if it's for five seconds, five minutes or five hours. It is just a practice that bewilders me, both as a parent and a police officer. The emergency services that need to attend these types of jobs are often left traumatised by it, they are not pretty circumstances. I just ask people to think about their actions." A 32-year-old woman has been charged. The woman was granted bail and will appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court on January 23. The incident comes less than a month after the state government launched a campaign warning of the risks of leaving children in hot cars. Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said she felt "absolutely gutted" by what happened.

"It's a tragic set of circumstances ... My thoughts are with this little baby." Ms Mikakos said she was open to looking at what else could be done and whether more work should be done alongside specific locations. "I will be taking advice from experts about whether there is something we need to do particularly around gaming venues," she said. "But we want to constantly get the message out, whether it's people going into a gaming venue, or a shopping centre, or wherever they might be going, that it's never ever safe to leave their child unattended in car." From the start of November to December 20, there were 256 ambulance callouts to children locked in cars.