Child Sex Offences

The Hon. L.A. HENDERSON (14:59): My questions are to the Attorney-General regarding child sex offences. With the old adage that prevention is better than cure in mind:

1. How much was spent by the government in the last financial year in order to help prevent child sex offences?

2. What evidence is there that this expenditure has been effective, given the high rate of matters listed in the District Court related to child sex offences or child exploitation material?

3. What specific targets aimed at reducing child sex offences and exploitation material has the government committed to, both fiscally and in reduction of child sex crime percentages?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (14:59): I thank the honourable member for her question. In relation to a global total for how much government might be spending on its efforts right across the board, I am pretty sure that would be very difficult to look at in terms of the efforts across police, across corrections, across DHS, across health, across multiple departments. If there are specific programs that I can easily find, I am happy to see if I can and come back—ministers in a range of portfolios to see if there is a sensible answer.