Daniel’s Law introduced: New child protection register for Queensland

This article discusses child sexual abuse, child sex offenders and safeguarding legislation. The content may be distressing for some readers. Reader discretion is advised, and support services are available if required.

The Queensland Parliament has introduced the Community Protection and Public Child Sex Offender Register Bill 2025, commonly referred to as Daniel’s Law. The legislation proposes the establishment of a three-tiered public child sex offender register, with the stated aim of increasing transparency and supporting child safety.

Introduced in August 2025, the Bill sets out a framework for publicly accessible information about certain convicted child sex offenders. The proposal follows more than two decades of advocacy from Bruce and Denise Morcombe, parents of Daniel Morcombe, in whose honour the Bill is named.

The Queensland legislation website outlines that the Bill provides for:

• Tier 1 – a publicly available website containing limited information such as name, photo and year of birth about offenders who have breached reporting obligations or whose whereabouts are unknown
• Tier 2 – an application-based system allowing residents to request images of high-risk offenders in their local area
• Tier 3 – a process enabling parents or guardians to ask whether a person with unsupervised contact with their child is a registered offender

To prevent misuse of the register, the Bill also creates new offences. These include penalties of up to 10 years’ imprisonment for using the register to incite harassment or violence, and up to 3 years’ imprisonment for unauthorised disclosure of restricted information.

For early childhood education and care (ECEC) services, the Bill represents a development in the wider national conversation around safeguarding and compliance. While the proposed register will be managed by police, its introduction aligns with sector responsibilities under the National Quality Standard (NQS) Quality Area 2: Children’s health and safety and Quality Area 7: Governance and leadership, which emphasise proactive systems for protecting children.

ECEC leaders and providers may wish to follow the Bill’s progress through Parliament and review potential implications for policy, staff training, and parent communication.

Day for Daniel 2025

The introduction of Daniel’s Law coincides with preparations for the annual Day for Daniel, which will be held on Friday 31 October 2025. Promoted by the Daniel Morcombe Foundation, the day encourages schools, early learning services, and communities to wear red, raise awareness, and engage children in conversations about personal safety.

ECEC services can participate by:

• accessing free Keeping Kids Safe resources developed by the Foundation, including age-appropriate teaching materials
• incorporating safety messages into curriculum planning and discussions with children
• engaging families in awareness campaigns and safety education at home.

Participation in Day for Daniel enables services to access child safety resources, involve families in awareness activities, and highlight sector responsibilities for child protection.

Further information about Day for Daniel and resources to support child safety conversations are available from the Daniel Morcombe Foundation.

The Community Protection and Public Child Sex Offender Register Bill 2025 is currently before the Queensland Parliament. Updates, including explanatory notes and the Bill’s progress, are available on the Queensland legislation website.

Bravehearts – 1800 272 831 or bravehearts.org.au
1800RESPECT – 1800 737 732 or 1800respect.org.au
Lifeline – 13 11 14 or lifeline.org.au