The parents of murdered schoolboy Daniel Morcombe have welcomed the push to introduce a national child sex offender registry to out convicted paedophiles.
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton is seeking backing from all the states and territories in Australia to create a national sex offenders’ registry.
The registry would be similar to that of the one in the United States and would allow anyone to be able to search for child sex offenders’ addresses.
Bruce and Denise Morcombe have been advocating for the implementation of the registry in Australia for years after their 13-year-old son Daniel was abducted and murdered by convicted sex offender Brett Cowan.
13-year-old Daniel was abducted and murdered by convicted sex offender Brett Cowan
Bruce and Denise Morcombe have been advocating for the implementation of the law in Australia for years
‘We can’t undo what’s been done, but we can focus on what we can change,’ Mr Morcombe told Nine News.
‘(With the register) the criminal comes second. What is number one is protecting our kids.’
The collated data could allow anybody to look up where registered child sex offenders live after they have been released from prison.
While the potential change is still in its early stages, Independent Victorian senator Derryn Hinch has already pledged his support, saying he could ‘die happy’ if the plans go ahead, the Herald Sun reported.
‘This is the reason I went to jail so many times — it was about protecting children,’ Senator Hinch said.
‘If you know that a convicted child sex offender is living in your street, you can say to your children don’t play near that house.’
The collated data could allow anybody to look up where registered child sex offenders live after they have been released from prison (pictured Brett Peter Cowan)
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton (pictured) is pushing for a national sex offenders’ registry to be established in Australia
The registry would put Australia in step with the United States, which has a system that allows parents parents and citizens to find a photo, name, address of convicted paedophiles
He went on to say that a similar system has been working in the United States since 1996.
The current system in America allows parents and citizens to find a photo, name, address, physical description, known aliases and details of the crimes committed by the criminal online.
The Californian sex offenders list appears like a map with thousands of interactive pins that people are able to click on, bringing up the criminal history of the person who lives where the pin is located.
Independent Victorian senator Derryn Hinch has already pledged his support, saying he could ‘die happy’ if the plans go ahead
Mr Morcombe previously told news.com.au he believed all parents should know where sex predators are living.
‘We think it’s breathtakingly simple but at the end of the day will make a massive difference for children right around the country; for parents to educate their children on what these predators get up to, the numbers of these predators and where indeed they live by geographically area,’ Mr Morcombe said.
Some of Australia’s worst sex offenders would be included on the list, including Warren Hayter, Dennis Ferguson and Robin Fletcher.
The Victorian government has already agreed to participate in discussions, but will not be supporting anything until experts and police have voiced their opinions on the matter, according to the Herald Sun.
A number of states, including Victoria, already have their own versions of a sex offenders’ registry in place, but none are available to the public.
Mr Dutton would need the full support of every state and territory in order to pass any new laws relating to a national registry.
Bruce and Denise Morcombe have been advocating for the implementation of the law in Australia for years after their 13-year-old son Daniel was abducted and murdered by convicted sex offender Brett Cowan (pictured)