Peter Dutton pushes for a national sex offenders’ registry in Australia find where paedophiles live

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton is pushing for a national sex offenders’ registry similar to that of the United States to be established in Australia.

Mr Dutton is reportedly in the process of seeking backing from all the states and territories in Australia to create the national registry.

The collated data could allow anybody to look up where registered child sex offenders live after they have been released from prison.

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

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.’

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

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.

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)