Sex Offender and Child Homicide Offender Public Website (Daniel's Law) Bill 2015 (NT)

Friday 18 September 2015 @ 12.50 p.m. | Crime

Despite opposition from other states to the controversial bill last year, the Northern Territory Government has nevertheless introduced the Sex Offender and Child Homicide Offender Public Website Bill 2015 into its parliament. The Bill, dubbed Daniel’s law, will create an online sex offenders register. The public website will pinpoint the whereabouts of convicted serious sex offenders. NT Attorney General and Minister for Justice John Elferink believes that once his government passes the law, other states will soon follow suit.

Background to the Bill

As previously discussed by TimeBase, the law is named after child murder victim Daniel Morcombe who was waiting for a bus in 2003 before being abducted, molested and subsequently murdered by convicted child sex offender Brett Peter Cowan. Since the incident, Daniel’s parents, Bruce and Denise Morcombe, have tirelessly worked to ensure children are protected from similar predators that had preyed on their son.

Amendments Contained in the Bill

According to the Bill, the public online sex register will list serious sex offenders including those convicted of the murder or manslaughter of children.

There seems to be specific provisions in the new principal bill responding to criticism as previously discussed relating to the inability of offenders to be rehabilitated. New Section 11 will provide three reasons for details of the offender not to be published on the new online Sex Offenders Register.

Reaction from Other States

Other States have rejected the proposals outlined in the bill at a COAG meeting late last year, stating that there isn’t sufficient evidence that highlights the effectiveness of the register. Then Prime Minister Tony Abbott commented that:

“We don’t have a national murderers register, we don’t have a national thieves register, we don’t have a national white-collar criminals register,"

Offender Registration in Other States

Currently, sex offender registration in all other States in Australia (except Western Australia) is for government and official consumption, not public access, and all people who access the register must receive official permission.

Some of the other Acts applicable to sex offender reporting include:

Crimes (Child Sex Offenders) Act 2005 (ACT);
Child Protection (Offenders Registration) Act 2000 (NSW);
Child Protection (Offender Reporting) Act 2004 (QLD);
Child Sex Offenders Registration Act 2006 (SA);
Community Protection (Offender Reporting) Act 2005 (TAS); and
Sex Offenders Registration Act 2004 (VIC).

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