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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2022-11-02 Daily Xml
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Child Sex Offenders

The Hon. S.G. WADE (15:11): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking questions of the Attorney-General regarding child sex offenders and bail.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: It was recently reported that an accused paedophile was released on home detention despite his residence being in close proximity to several schools and his victim being of 'a very young age'. The man, who was unable to be named in order to protect the identity of his alleged victim, allegedly assaulted the child over a period of three days whilst they were under his authority with the magistrate referring to the alleged offending as 'extremely serious'. My questions to the Attorney-General are:

1. Does the government support alleged child sex offenders being released on home detention in close proximity to premises frequented by children?

2. How many alleged child sex offenders are currently bailed on home detention in South Australia in close proximity to schools?

3. What is the state government doing to ensure children on and near school grounds are not put at risk from alleged child sex offenders on home detention?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (15:12): I don't have information about the specific case that the member refers to, and I am not sure of the status, but if it is still before the courts I would be unlikely to mention it. We have been as a Labor Party in opposition and in government very concerned to make sure the community is as safe as we can make the community from child sex offenders. Certainly, I will ask for a briefing—if we can glean the information from what the honourable member has said—about this particular case, but as a general rule we don't think child sex offenders should be in contact with young children.

This came up particularly in the last term of government with a child sex offender I think in the Paradise area in Adelaide where I think the agitation saw a change in the law about the ability to get front-end home detention for those convicted of child sex offences. It is something we take very seriously as a government and will continue to do so.

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