A landmark law honouring Daniel Morcombe will deliver Australia’s first public child sex offender register.
Daniel’s Law was passed in Queensland Parliament on October 30, more than two decades after Sunshine Coast teenager Daniel Morcombe was abducted and murdered by a sex offender.
It also came on the eve of Day for Daniel, which promotes child safety awareness nationwide.
“As Daniel’s mum and dad, we’re incredibly proud,” Bruce Morcombe said at state parliament. “I’m incredibly indebted to the Crisafulli government for making this happen in a relatively short space of time… this is about protecting children.”
The Morcombes are now pushing for the adoption of a national register.
Daniel’s Law is designed to help people identify child sex offenders in breach of their court orders, find out if any live nearby and check the background of anyone who has unsupervised access to their children.
There are also safeguards to prevent misuse of the public register, with vigilantes facing jail terms of up to 10 years.
Similar laws are in place in Western Australia, however it has more restricted register access.
Premier David Crisafulli said Daniel’s Law would help parents protect children. “For too long, monsters have been hiding in plain sight, living next door, having interactions with kids,” he said.
“This gives parents another tool to try and keep their kids safe.”
Under Daniel’s Law, child sex offenders who fail in their reporting obligations will have their information available to the public on the register. Parents and caregivers can apply and check whether another person set to look after their child has a history of child sex offences.
“We will give parents something they have never had before – the right to know, the right to see the truth that for too long has been hidden behind closed files and locked doors,” Police Minister Dan Purdie said. – AAP
