Queensland will soon introduce the country’s longest child sex offender monitoring periods, which will see the most serious offenders monitored for life.
The new laws will double the amount of time a first-time child sex offender is subject to police monitoring and reporting – raised from just five years up to ten.
While the monitoring period for repeat offenders will also double to 20 years, and the most serious child sex offenders will be monitored for life.
The legislation will be introduced next week, and are the toughest monitoring laws in Australia.
Minister for Police Mark Ryan says the state government will always put community safety first.
“These reforms will establish the longest, strongest, most comprehensive monitoring laws in relation to child sex offenders in the nation,” Minister Ryan says.
“This is righting the shameful wrongs of the LNP’s past.”
In 2014, legislation was amended by the LNP Government to significantly reduce the police reporting and monitoring periods for child sex offenders – with many only monitored for five years.
And as a consequence, the LNP’s law changes meant that overnight, the police oversight and monitoring ceased for more than 1,700 child sex offenders.
“Child sex offenders are among the most heinous of all, and they deserve to be subject to the longest, strongest and strictest monitoring and reporting regime in the nation.
“The community can be assured that in addition to these tough new laws, our world class police service, including the internationally acclaimed Taskforce Argos and the Queensland Police Service’s Child Abuse and Sexual Crime Group are relentless in targeting those who do harm to the most vulnerable members of society.
“These new laws will continue to support the efforts of Queensland’s hard working police to keep Queensland children safe.”
