Child sex crackdown

CONCERNED parents would be able to check if a sex offender was living in their neighbourhood under a bold plan by the State Opposition that mirrors a program in Western Australia.

The proposed public childsex offender register would also allow people to check the backgrounds of anyone who had regular, unsupervised access to their children.

The LNP’s plan, which would be implemented if the party was successful at the 2020 state election, is modelled on systems in WA and the UK.

“Protecting children is more important than protecting the anonymity of pedophiles,” Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington said.

“If I become premier, I will do everything I can to stop kids being targeted by sexual predators.”

Under the plan, three tiers of information would be available, including a missing offender register, which would include photos and personal details of offenders who failed to report to police and whose whereabouts were unknown.

A local offender search would also be created, allowing parents to search their suburb and surrounding suburbs to view photographs of offenders.

However, anyone found to have harassed an offender or distributed the information could face up to 10 years in jail.

A community protection disclosure scheme, where parents or guardians would be able to apply to police to ask whether a person who has regular, unsupervised contact with their child was a reportable sex offender, would also be created.

Anyone who uses false information to request a disclosure or misuses information provided by police could face seven years in jail.

It joins the LNP’s mandatory GPS tracking laws that are before Parliament.

The Queensland Police Service operates a Child Protection Offender Registry, which requires child-sex offenders to keep police informed of their whereabouts.

Sharon Tomlinson, who was raped by Robert John Fardon at gunpoint when she was 12, said the register was needed to protect the public.

“The community has a right to this information,” she said.

“Parents need to know if there is an offender living in their midst.

“Nothing is more important than protecting our kids from sexual predators.”

Opposition police spokesman Trevor Watts said parents should not be kept in the dark when it came to their children’s safety.

“If we can prevent one child from becoming the victim of sexual abuse these laws will be worth it,” he said.

“The use of similar laws in WA and the UK shows that they are effective and are used responsibly by the community.”