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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-08-28 Daily Xml
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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 regarding campaign promises.

Leave granted.

The Hon. L.A. HENDERSON: In 2022, the Labor Party promised to have the toughest laws in Australia for serious child sex offenders and that 'serious child sex offenders would be locked up, and we will throw away the key until they can prove they are no longer a threat to the community'. Given the staggering number of cases before the court around child sex offences, my questions to the minister are:

1. When will the government be introducing indefinite detention?

2. How many child sex offenders have been released before they have served their full sentence since 2022?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (15:10): I thank the honourable member for her question. I am very pleased to report—the honourable member may have missed it when it went through this chamber but legislation has passed the Legislative Council for the indefinite detention of serious repeat child sex offenders. It is now in the House of Assembly, and we expect it to pass there certainly within the coming month.

So I thank the honourable member for highlighting the achievements of this government. Usually this sort of question would be asked by one of my colleagues in relation to government achievements, but the honourable member was absolutely right: it was an election commitment to introduce some of the toughest laws on child sex offenders in South Australia, and we have passed them in this chamber. It is unfortunate the honourable member missed the proceedings that were going on before her in the chamber before the winter break, but we have passed these laws in this house—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: —and the laws will pass the lower house and we will have the toughest laws of their kind anywhere in Australia.

What this will mean for a serious child sex offender who for the second time is sentenced to a term of imprisonment is that that will become a term of indefinite detention until they can demonstrate they are willing and able to control their sexual instincts. We make no apologies. We don't care what the opposition says. We make no apologies for having the toughest laws of their kind in Australia, and I am glad the member has given me an opportunity to talk about what we have done in this chamber just this year, before the winter break.

I am happy, if she has missed any other significant bits of legislation, for her to ask further questions about the work that we have done in this chamber and to remind her of what we do on a daily basis.

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