Dutton’s pledge to launch national paedophile register
Registered sex offenders could have their identities revealed to parents or guardians under a Coalition proposal to crack down on predators in the community.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton is to pledge $750 million on Monday for crime-fighting measures including a national taskforce to combat illicit drugs, and a sex offender register inspired by a British model in which parents could raise their suspicions about anyone who interacts with their children in any way, including the partners of relatives.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has pledged to crack down on crime.Credit: James Brickwood
The proposal will reignite a debate on which major party is better at tackling crime, as the Coalition seeks to rebrand itself to voters after polls show Labor could win a majority at the May 3 election.
Crime and anti-social behaviour is one of the top issues for voters, according to the latest Resolve Political Monitor. Seven per cent say it is their most important issue, with only healthcare and cost of living rating higher.
Concerns about rising crime rates – sparked by reports of youth gangs invading homes and stealing cars – are particularly high in the battleground states of Victoria and Queensland.
Criminal law is primarily the domain of state governments, but Dutton, a former police officer, is to pledge to allocate $350 million to the Australian Federal Police to tackle drug crime while allocating additional funding for crime measures he has already announced, such as uniform laws controlling the sale and carrying of knives.
Cracking down on the importation of date-rape drugs, $7.5 million to expand Crime Stoppers and outlawing boasting about crimes on social media are some of the many proposals included in Dutton’s pledge to stamp out crime should he win the election.
Further, $21.3 million would be allocated to trial a 12-month national child-sex offender disclosure scheme, modelled on existing programs in Western Australia and the UK.
“This register is an idea whose time has come – and it is now time to put it into force to protect our kids,” Dutton said in a statement. “The scheme will serve as a powerful deterrent to offenders and importantly will enable parents to be fully informed about their child’s safety.”
Dutton has pushed for a sex offender register since 2019, when he was home affairs minister. The opposition leader revived his plan in an interview with Sky News’s Peta Credlin in February.
Credit: John Donegan
“We tried to push it when we were in government. The states largely weren’t interested …,” he said in February.
The pilot program for a disclosure scheme would be overseen by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, while state and territory police would manage requests and vetting.
The UK scheme was brought in around the country in 2011 after a pilot scheme across four police areas in 2010 led to 60 children being protected from abuse, according to the UK Home Office.
Under the UK model, carers can discover if someone is a registered sex offender through a “right to ask” stream, under which someone asks police for an assessment. Under a “right to know” stream, police who receive information that a child is at risk then inform a parent or guardian.
In Western Australia, a community protection website was created in 2012 which provides members of the public access to photographs and information on WA’s most serious sex offenders. Parents can also inquire with police about any person who has unsupervised contact with their child.
Federal Education Minister Jason Clare said child safety needed to improve after a former childcare worker was charged in August 2023 with child abuse offences against 91 girls who police will allege were filmed and photographed in centres between 2007 and 2022.
In December 2023, the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority recommended enabling information sharing and streamlined reporting of child safety issues around Australia, as one of 16 recommendations aimed at improving child safety standards.
In July 2024, state and federal education ministers agreed to restrict the taking of photos and videos of children on personal phones in childcare centres and kindergartens, but they are yet to propose a national sex-offender register.
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