27/11/04
Western Australia's new sex offender laws will be the toughest in the nation.
Police Minister Michelle Roberts said the new laws, which passed through Parliament this week, would require paedophiles and serious and repeat sex offenders to report to police and have their details logged on a national database - a Sex Offender Register.
"The impact of sex offences is devastating and long-lasting, destroying the lives of families and friends and scaring the wider community," the Minister said.
"Our Government is committed to implementing a range of tough new measures to prevent sexual abuse against children and adult victims to make our communities safer and more secure.
"These new laws are another significant step in the Gallop Government's program to prevent child abuse and family violence."
Mrs Roberts said WA had pushed ahead of other States, with provisions to include mandatory registration of convicted repeat sex offenders whose victims were adults in addition to child sex offenders.
"While other States are playing catch-up, WA is committed to funding a review of the national database so that the national register will include adult sex offenders on the register," she said.
"Our Government believes the community has a legitimate expectation that serious and repeat sex offenders will be supervised and monitored once they are released into the community.
"The register will not only assist police to investigate future crimes, but assure victims of sex crimes that police know where their offenders are."
The Minister said the laws would boost police powers, enabling them to apply to the courts for strict controls to be placed on any serious and repeat sex offender who posed a risk to the community or an individual.
"This could include restrictions on where they lived or worked, their activities and with whom they associated," she said.
"There will also be mandatory reporting requirements for sex offenders found guilty of more than one serious offence."
Mrs Roberts said a provision would also be made for WA's registration system to be retrospective.
"We cannot afford to let serious and repeat sex offenders hide out in the community, just because their last attack took place before these new laws come into effect," she said.
"Our new laws will also provide for mandatory reporting obligations for recidivist paedophiles and repeat sex offenders who committed an offence in the eight years prior to the legislation being implemented.
"We have also reduced the reporting obligation from 28 days, which is in the national model, to only seven days."
The Minister said offenders would be required to provide police with information including place of residence, employment details, make of car and any travel plans.
Under the new sex offender laws:
- people who commit murder, infanticide, attempted murder and sexual assault face up to a lifetime registration;
- sex offenders must register their details at a police station within seven days following their conviction or release from prison; and
- registration periods for sex offenders extend up to 15 years for crimes including indecent assault, child pornography and child prostitution.
Mrs Roberts said offenders who failed to comply with the registration obligations would face a jail term of up to two years.
Minister's office: 9213 6600
