National Paedophile Register

In reply to the Hon. S.L. GAME ().23 February 2023).

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries): The Attorney-General has advised:

The government made a commitment, during the 2022 state election campaign, to implement a child sex offender public disclosure model based on the model currently in use in Western Australia.

Work on implementing the model is currently being progressed by the Attorney-General's Department in consultation with the South Australia Police.

In 2022 the government introduced and passed the Statutes Amendment (Child Sex Offences) Act 2022. This act raised the maximum penalties on various child sex offences to ensure they matched community expectations for these terrible crimes. The act also updated the list of child sex offences that make a person registrable under the Child Sex Offenders Registration Act 2006, and clarified how several offences and sentencing principles operate when the 'child' victim was an undercover adult who the perpetrator believed was a child.

On 9 March 2023 the Attorney-General introduced the Statutes Amendment (Sexual Offences) Bill 2023 into the Legislative Council. This bill lowers the sentence discounts available to offenders who plead guilty to offences of possessing child exploitation material and child sex dolls, and ensures that authorities properly take into account the gravity of these crimes when considering bail for persons facing these charges.