Tough new laws introduced to crack down on child sex offenders

The Palaszczuk Government will introduce even tougher measures to hunt down child sex offenders.

The new laws will support police efforts to stop reportable offenders using the latest online technology to offend against children.

Police will have expanded powers to enter the residence of a reportable offender to undertake a digital device inspection.

Disturbingly, police advise there has been an increasing trend in child sex offenders using new web technology and the anonymity of on-line offending to harm children.

Police Minister Mark Ryan said since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, police keep discovering child sex offenders using new web technology to target children.

“It is a very alarming and disturbing trend,” Minister Ryan said.

“Currently advanced anonymising software exists, such as virtual private networks and hidden phone applications, allowing these predators to remain invisible online, hiding evidence of their child sex offending.”

The Child Protection (Offenders Reporting and Offender Prohibition Order) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2022 to be introduced to Parliament this week targets technology-based offending.

In a first for Australia the new measures will seek to prevent and seriously disrupt these practices by:

• expanding police powers to enter the residence of a reportable offender to undertake a digital device inspection; 
• requiring reportable offenders to disclose their use of anonymising software, vault and black hole applications and their media access control (MAC) address;
• introducing a new offence with penalties of up to five year imprisonment for failing to comply with a requirement to produce a digital device for a device inspection; and
• requiring reportable offenders who have been convicted of failing to comply with their reporting obligations to report those details to police within seven days.

Police Minister Mark Ryan said the new laws were another tool the Queensland Police Service could use to pursue child sex offenders.

“These offenders are the lowest of the low, and I am determined they’ll have nowhere to hide,” Minister Ryan said.

“As technology changes, it is critical police are given the tools they need to keep the pressure on child sex offenders.

“The QPS has been doing an outstanding job in its seemingly never-ending quest against this despicable behaviour.

“It is incredibly complex, and stressful, for the officers and any way in which the Government can help legislatively we absolutely do that.

“I have the utmost admiration for the police who identified the need for these changes to further protect children in our community."

Crime and Intelligence Command Detective Acting Chief Superintendent Denzil Clark welcomes these laws as an additional mechanism to monitor, disrupt and prevent repeat offending by reportable offenders.

“The safety of all Queenslanders remains paramount to the QPS and our approach to the monitoring of reportable offenders within Queensland continues to be a priority,” Detective Acting Chief Superintendent Clark said.

Media Contacts:
Minister Ryan’s Office: (07) 3035 8300
Police Media: (07) 3015 2444