New laws in SA to allow citizens to access information about offenders living in their area

The South Australian government has passed new laws enabling its citizens to access certain information held on the child sex offenders register who may be living in their area. 

South Australia Police currently maintains a database of registrable offenders, which includes child sex offenders as well as those offenders convicted of certain other serious offences against children.

The new laws will allow the police greater powers to share or publish information on the register, as well as enabling parents to check whether individuals who have unsupervised access to their children are registrable offenders, and what offences led to their inclusion on the register.

In addition, the disclosure scheme would enable the Commissioner of Police to publish:

• Any or all personal details, including a photograph, of a registrable offender whose whereabouts is unknown and who has failed to comply with reporting obligations or has provided false or misleading information
• Photographs of dangerous and high-risk offenders living in the same suburb or town as an individual who applies for them
• Information about an individual who has unsupervised contact with a child in response to an application from the child’s parent or guardian

The disclosure scheme will be implemented as part of the Digital Police Station initiative, funded in the 2024-25 State Budget.

“This is a significant step forward in the protection of our communities, and will enable South Australians to be better informed about any registrable offenders living in their area,” Attorney-General of South Australia Kyam Maher said.

“It will also be an invaluable tool for parents wanting to ensure those involved with their children have not been hiding a background of child sex abuse.”

The legislation builds on other tough new changes to child sex offender laws including:

• Increased penalties for a range of child sex abuse offences, such as increasing the maximum penalty for gross indecency with or in the presence of a child from five to 15 years.
• Legislated to ban child sex offenders from working in places that also hire underage employees, such as hospitality or retail.
• Strengthened Carly’s Law, so that tough penalties apply to offenders who communicate online with police officers posing as fictitious children.
• Legislated for serious repeat child sex offenders to be locked up until they can prove that they are no longer a danger to the community.

“This Government will do everything in its power to keep the community safe from the vile monsters who prey upon children,” Mr Maher said.