Child Sex Offenders

The Hon. L.A. HENDERSON (15:09): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking questions of the Attorney-General on child sex offenders.

Leave granted.

The Hon. L.A. HENDERSON: On Wednesday 28 August, I asked the Attorney-General how many child sex offenders had been released before they had served their full sentence since 2022. He responded, 'I don't have any such figures.' Around two weeks later, my questions to the minister are:

1. Can the minister advise how many child sex offenders have been released before they have served their full sentence since March 2022?

2. How many repeat offenders of child sexual assaults or exploitation-related matters have there been since March 2022?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (15:10): I very sincerely thank the honourable member for her question about repeat child sex offenders. I am exceptionally proud to say that, if it hasn't been already, very shortly in the other place there will be legislation passed that ensures that the vile monsters who repeatedly sexually offend against children will be locked up and the key will be thrown away, as per an election commitment. We have laws that will come into force, once they pass the lower house, to indefinitely detain serious repeat child sex offenders.

That will mean that, for a second occasion where a custodial sentence is given for a serious child sex offender, they will be locked up for the rest of their life, until they can demonstrate through independently court-appointed medical specialists that they are no longer a threat by being willing and able to control their sexual instincts. Even then, if they get out of jail at some stage, they will face the possibility of electronic monitoring for the rest of their life. There are no other laws like this anywhere else in Australia, and we make absolutely no apologies as a government that we are making sure that we are doing things to make children as safe as we can by indefinitely detaining repeat serious child sex offenders.