Tasmanian parents could soon have the right to check if someone spending time with their children is a registered sex offender, under new laws set to be debated in state parliament this week.
The proposed ‘Daniel’s Law’ would make Tasmania the fourth state in the country to introduce public access provisions for sex offender information, following in the footsteps of Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland.
Named after 13-year-old Daniel Morcombe, who was abducted and murdered on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast in 2003, the legislation has been championed by his parents, Bruce and Denise Morcombe, for more than 15 years.
“Tasmania, we are so pleased that you guys are on the front foot preparing legislation that will enable ordinary Tasmanians to search in the privacy of your own home,” Bruce Morcombe said during a visit to the state on Monday.
The proposed legislation would work on two fronts. Police could issue public alerts if a registered sex offender breaches their conditions and their whereabouts are unknown.
Parents would also be able to apply to Tasmania Police to find out whether someone with regular or unsupervised access to their children is listed on the sex offender register.
Police Minister Felix Ellis said the law would also support better information-sharing across government agencies.
“It’s important that we do everything that we can to protect our children. There is no higher priority,” he said.
“Delivering Daniel’s Law in Tasmania will be such an important step forward for protecting our most vulnerable. The protection of children must come before privacy for perpetrators.”
The Morcombes acknowledge the law isn’t perfect. Bruce Morcombe described it as “most definitely the best system that is available to us” but cautioned it was “not the silver bullet”.
“If these people have not offended, these bad people that offend against our kids have not been caught before and run through the courts, well of course they are not going to have the red flags pop up when you make applications,” he said.
Since their son’s death, Daniel’s parents have established the Daniel Morcombe Foundation, now one of Australia’s leading child safety organisations.
Their annual ‘Day for Daniel’ campaign reaches more than 10,000 schools and early learning centres across the country.
The legislation is expected to be debated in parliament later this week, with the government confident it will receive broad support across party lines.
