At a time when having access to instant information is everything, a commitment to bring a public child sex offender register to fruition will be a key tool in ensuring the safety of our children, according to Member for Burdekin Dale Last MP.
Mr Last said the LNP announcement of a three-tiered system to be known as Daniel’s Law would give parents and carers access details of reportable offenders who have failed to comply with their reporting obligations on a public website, to the ability to inquire about a specific person with regular unsupervised contact with their child.
“As parents we do everything in our power to keep our children safe and part of that is having the information at our fingertips about exactly what threats are nearby, that’s why this system is crucial,” Mr Last said.
“The announcement of Daniel’s Law will also include new offences to prevent the misuse of information on the register, striking the right balance when it comes to keeping the public informed and our children safe.”
“Similar systems are already in place in other states across Australia, so the time has well and truly arrived for Queensland to prioritise the rights of victims of crime ahead of the rights of perpetrators.”
Mr Last said the introduction of Daniel’s Law had the potential to save the lives of Queensland’s most vulnerable residents, no matter where you live.
“Sadly, across the last decade we’ve seen children harmed in some of the most horrific circumstances and alarmingly many of these circumstances have involved an offender known to the family or have regular interactions with the child,” Mr Last said.
“Every parent deserves the right to know the people who could potentially interact with their child are not high-risk sex offenders.”
“For years Labor has been called upon to take real action when it comes to keeping our children safe in the communities they live, learn and play in yet they have sat on their hands. As a former police officer I know just how valuable tools like Daniel’s Law can be when it comes to preventing these offences and saving little lives.”
The origins of the new law is driven by the parents of Daniel Morcombe who, in December 2003 at age 13, was abducted and murdered by twice-convicted paedophile Brett Cowan.
Since 2014, the Morcombe family has publicly supported and advocated for the development of a publicly accessible sex offender register in Australia – referred to as Daniel’s Law in honour of the Morcombe’s son Daniel.
Daniel’s Law would ensure the register is freely accessible to the community, federally funded, and understood more broadly as an educational tool.
Contributed by Member for Burdekin Dale Last.
Members of Daniel Morcombe’s family fighting to instigate Daniel’s Law. Photo supplied
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