A landmark law honouring Daniel Morcombe will deliver Australia’s first public child sex offender register.
Daniel’s Law was passed in Queensland Parliament on Thursday evening, more than two decades after Sunshine Coast teenager Daniel Morcombe was abducted and murdered by a sex offender.
It also came on the eve of the Day for Daniel, promoting child safety awareness nationwide.
“As Daniel’s mum and dad, we’re incredibly proud,” Bruce Morcombe said at state parliament.
“I’m incredibly indebted to the Crisafulli government for making this happen in a relatively short space of time … this is about protecting children going forward.”
Want more free local news? Follow Sunshine Coast News on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram, and sign up for our FREE daily news email.
The Morcombes are now pushing for the adoption of a national register.
Daniel’s Law is designed to help people identify child sex offenders in breach of their court orders, find out if any live nearby and check the background of anyone who has unsupervised access to their children.
There are also safeguards to prevent misuse of the public register, with vigilantes facing jail terms of up to 10 years.
Similar laws are in place in Western Australia, however it has more restricted register access.
A registry proposed in South Australia will charge people to access it, unlike Queensland.
Premier David Crisafulli said Daniel’s Law would help parents protect children.
“For too long, monsters have been hiding in plain sight, living next door, having interactions with kids,” he said.
“This gives parents another tool to try and keep their kids safe.”
Under Daniel’s Law, child sex offenders who fail in their reporting obligations will have their information available to the public on the register.
People will also be able to apply for information on whether child sex offenders live in their area, including images of the person.
Parents and caregivers can apply to the register and check whether another adult or person set to look after their child has a history of child sex offences.
“We will give parents something they have never had before – the right to know, the right to see the truth that for too long has been hidden behind closed files and locked doors,” Police Minister Dan Purdie said.
The introduction of Australia’s first public child sex offender register triggered an emotional response from an MP who has detailed harrowing allegations of abuse.
The brave MP used parliamentary privilege to reveal the ordeal.
“During one summer of January 2016, my then six-year-old daughter was the victim of a sexual assault,” the MP said.
“There were other people around. It was broad daylight, and it wasn’t a stranger – I didn’t know.”
The once-thriving, happy and confident little girl became afraid and introverted.
It was not until years later that the MP learned the truth.
“This beautiful, mature, super smart, wonderful daughter of mine came to me in her quiet, no-fuss manner and described the events of that day in so much detail, like it was yesterday,” the MP said.
“My daughter is not defined by this, but it has definitely had a significant impact.”
The MP made the revelation under parliamentary privilege before Daniel’s Law was passed, establishing a nation-leading public child sex offender register.
Parliamentary privilege offers special protections over freedom of speech and shields members from being sued or prosecuted.
“Victims live a battle of weighing up facing justice versus healing themselves, and the journey is individual and complex,” the MP said.
“Bruce and Denise (Morcombe) paid the ultimate price for the dark side of society, and remain my inspiration and have the eternal gratitude of an entire country.”
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732), National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028, Lifeline 13 11 14, Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25).
