CHILD SEX OFFENDERS REGISTRATION (REGISTRATION OF INTERNET ACTIVITIES) AMENDMENT BILL

Second Reading

Adjourned debate on second reading.

(Continued from 8 May 2008. Page 3254.)

Mr VENNING (Schubert) (10:40): This is a very significant bill, and I think it is important that we speak about it today, particularly in relation to the revelations that I heard this morning on ABC Radio. Electronic crime today is a serious matter. This morning we heard about a site containing paedophilic material that had thousands of hits in the first hour, and now the police are tracing those callers.

I agree with the member for Davenport, whom I commend for raising this matter, because it is all about convicted sexual offenders who are already on the register. The member believes (and our party supports him) that the registry should also contain their email address, which ought to be supplied to the police, so that their activity can be quickly picked up if they access material on the electronic media.

As I said, I support the member for Davenport on this matter. Electronic crime is rampant today. When I heard this on the radio this morning I said to my wife, 'It's just shocking to see so many hits.' It makes you wonder what our society is coming to. There were many hits in the first hour—thousands of them—and the allied activity that went with that was quite horrific. We are certainly making a lot of work for our police force, and we should do anything we can to make it easier for them.

I think this measure is very commendable. The question that needs to be asked is: why is it not so already? I cite Professor Sumner Miller's proverbial saying: why is this not so? Why leave this motion on the Notice Paper? I think that we should vote on it now and be done with it. Surely the government will not disagree with this. I am very pleased that, at least when people are accessing these websites, there is a trace-back, and I say good on the police for being able to find it. We need to stamp out this activity, because it is like a cancer: it is infiltrating all levels of our society. I commend the member for Davenport, and I ask the house to support the measure.

The Hon. R.B. SUCH (Fisher) (10:43): I support the bill. I would like to take the issue back to a more fundamental point—and that is not taking away anything from this proposal. As a society, clearly, we have not been able to deal with human sexuality as we should have done, and that is reflected in the fact that we have people who prey on children. Quite frankly, I do not understand how people can find children sexually attractive in any way, shape or form. I find it quite bizarre.

It suggests to me that those particular individuals, as reflected in their evil activity, have a serious problem. I do not believe that we as a society are addressing that issue. It is interesting that when there are attempts to introduce sex education programs in schools to make people aware and have a more open and understanding view of human sexuality—and that includes not only the physiological but also the psychological aspects—there are people in the community who oppose it.

If you look at many of these characters, 30 years ago paedophiles were regarded as unfortunate people who could not interact with others and therefore they had to interact with children. Society has changed its view in the past 30 years and now says, 'Well, it is unacceptable; it is evil activity; it is a crime: we will not tolerate it.' I do not have a problem with that. The attitude has changed dramatically.

Apart from treatment of people who do offend—and that has to be genuine treatment and rehabilitation— there should be a system where, in effect, there is not an amnesty but an open invitation for people who find themselves attracted to children in this deviant way to be given appropriate treatment before they get into a position of offending. If they find that they have tendencies which are likely to lead them to prey on children, they should be able to contact appropriate sections of the government or non-government sector so that they can be given proper treatment—psychological programs—to change their mindset and behaviour.

At the moment, we are dealing with the event after it has happened. I want to see more effort put into preventing the abuse of children in the first place, and that means the wider (and I will not go into all the ins and outs of it now) society having a more healthy attitude towards human sexuality, instead of the double standard emphasis that we have in society at the moment where we send out mixed messages and help to create a climate where people have unhealthy attitudes to others, particularly to children. Putting that bigger picture aside for the moment, I commend this bill. I believe that people who offend against children should be closely monitored and, importantly, treated and assisted to move away from their deviant and unacceptable behaviour.

Mr HANNA (Mitchell) (10:47): The member for Davenport has brought forward a very simple, effective proposal to help combat the scourge of paedophile activity in South Australia. It is very simple: it requires the registration of all internet forms of contact had by the child sex offender. The term 'child sex offender' is already technically a term under the law: it is pretty clear what that means. Clearly, the purpose of the legislation is to require the registration of all internet providers, names, uses of chat rooms, identities and so on in relation to a child sex offender to make it easier for police to track what they are doing. This, by definition, is after they have been convicted of such a crime. It is an aid to law enforcement.

I do not see how anyone in this place could possibly object to such a measure. It could only be assumed that those who wish to adjourn the matter today are opposed to this measure which will help to fight paedophile activity.

Debate adjourned on motion of Mrs Geraghty.