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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-03-06 Daily Xml
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Child Sex Offender Register

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (14:53): Thank you, sir.

The Hon. K.J. Maher: Now this is how you do it.

The PRESIDENT: Attorney, enough of the cheer squad.

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD: I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking questions of the Attorney-General regarding child sex offender registers.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD: Just over a year ago, I asked the Attorney when state parliament could expect a bill to be introduced dealing with the public sex offender register, based on the Western Australian model, as per Labor's pre-election commitment at the last election. The Attorney-General stated in response:

…in the not too distant future I would expect we will have a system proposed, and up and running in South Australia. It was a key election commitment…

My questions to the Attorney are:

1. Does such a system exist?

2. If not, why is it taking so long to introduce a public sex offender register in South Australia?

3. When will one finally be introduced as per Labor's commitment?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (14:54): I thank the honourable member for his question and for his interest in keeping South Australians safe. That was an election commitment that we are working on to fulfil. I suspect it will need legislation, but work continues on that.

As the honourable member indicated, there is a public-facing system which has various levels that is operating in Western Australia, and I know we have had officials liaising with Western Australia to see what elements of that would work in a different jurisdiction. It is a different legislative environment in South Australia.

That is something work continues on, and I hope we will have something as soon as possible but, as a minister, I recognise that my wishes and desires to have everything happen all at once are not always achievable. However, that work does continue. It is a commitment we intend to fulfill, and I suspect we will soon have the register set-up legislation before this chamber to provide for the indefinite detention of serious child sex offenders who are given jail time on a second occasion. These were both very significant election commitments aimed at keeping children safe from sexual predators.

We have delivered on a number of other things, including things that the Hon. Connie Bonaros has brought before the parliament in relation to significant increases in a whole range of child sex offences: childlike sex dolls, keeping children safe from working with serious child sex offenders in the workplace. So yes, it is something I can confirm remains an election commitment and something work continues on, but work continues on keeping children safe from the vile monsters who prey upon them in a whole range of areas.

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