New Report Sparks Push To Introduce Child Sex Offender Register

The recent release of a report has reignited calls for a national sex offender registry after it was revealed how most sex offenders are finding their victims.

Since the report’s release on Tuesday, La Trobe MP Jason Wood has proposed Australia adopt a similar disclosure model to that of the UK.

Britain’s model allows parents to access information about a person if they have frequent contact with their child or if the guardian believes that person poses a threat to their child’s safety.

The report was actioned by the Australian Institute of Criminology and funded by the Coalition government following calls for an online sex offender register which would make personal information such as names, images and postcodes of sex offenders available to residents in the area.

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The recent report revealed that between 66 and 82 percent of sexual assaults occur between the victim, and someone known to the victim such as a family member or family friend.

“The majority of child sexual assault incidents involving an alleged recidivist offender occurred in a residential setting and involved someone known to the offender, most often an acquaintance or relative,” the report said.

“This is a somewhat surprising finding, as it suggests that even after contact with the criminal justice system, these alleged offenders had access to children known to them.”

The report also reflected that 83 percent of victims are females between the ages of 10 and 11 years old while one in four reoffenders will pray upon both male and female victims.

Former police officer MP Jason Wood told the Herald Sun that the recent report proves the need for a child sex offender register.

“We could be saving victims in the future. I feel really sorry for the parents and the victims who could have been saved this tragedy if they had this ­opportunity to make an application via a register,” he said.

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