An Australian man raped his daughter almost daily for 30 years and fathered her four children in a case that echoes the notorious incest crimes of Josef Fritzl in Austria, a report said Thursday. The man, now aged in his 60s, began abusing his daughter in the 1970s when she was 11 and continued for three decades even after authorities received warnings about his behaviour, Melbourne's Herald Sun newspaper said. The newspaper said the man's wife denied any knowledge of the alleged abuse, which police reportedly decided to prosecute after receiving DNA evidence that the man was the father of his daughter's children. Local media likened the alleged crimes to those committed by Fritzl, who was jailed for life in May for imprisoning and raping his daughter for 24 years and murdering one of the seven children he had with her. Victoria state police refused to confirm details of the case, saying it was subject to a court-imposed suppression order. The state's Community Service Minister Lisa Neville described the allegations as 'appalling'. 'This is a case that's gone on for 30 years. Obviously this will be a priority to look into,' she told public broadcaster ABC. The Herald Sun said all the victim's four children were born with birth defects in major Melbourne hospitals. One of them later died. It said the woman reported the abuse to police in 2005 but then refused to cooperate further because she feared for her safety. 