Bills

Statutes Amendment (Child Exploitation and Encrypted Material) Bill

Final Stages

Consideration in committee of message No. 95 from the Legislative Council.

The Legislative Council insisted on its amendments Nos 1, 3, 8 to 11, 13, 20 to 22, 25 and 26 to which the House of Assembly had disagreed.

(Continued from 3 July 2019.)

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN: I indicate that the government is no longer insisting on the amendments presented to us from the Legislative Council. Chair, you will recall that they were made, they came to us, they were rejected, and they have been re-presented to us. We are now accepting them. Clearly, the Legislative Council was determined to limit the application of the bill in relation to the offences to which this would apply for the purposes of the police having these extra powers. I indicate that the government will accept the same.

Ms STINSON: I rise to support the amendments to the Statutes Amendment (Child Exploitation and Encrypted Material) Bill. As the Attorney-General said yesterday—and again today, in fact—the Legislative Council has amended the bill, and we support those amendments. I am pleased to see that the Attorney and her team have come to this decision to support the amendments made in the other place to get this legislation moving.

The bill will now rightly cover child exploitation and will not have a broadbrush approach dealing with other matters covered by existing legislation. We on this side think that we now have a bill, and I am sure those on the side do as well, that will shine a light on child sexual exploitation, giving police the best possible chance to stop these heinous crimes against children.

Motion carried.