The parents of kidnapped teenager Daniel Morcombe hope state legislation will have a “domino effect” and usher in a national public sex offender registry.
Thirteen-year-old Daniel was murdered after being kidnapped while waiting for a bus on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast in late 2003.
More than 20 years later, his legacy lives on and the Queensland government is set to introduce Daniel’s Law in 2025, creating a publicly accessible sex offender registry.
It would allow parents to search for photos and names of convicted child sex offenders.
Similar plans have been adopted in South Australia and Western Australia.
But Daniel Morcombe’s father hopes it will soon go national, saying Queensland could still be the catalyst.
“(The public sex offender registry) is not a silver bullet because if you haven’t been caught you won’t be on the registry,” Bruce Morcombe said Monday.
‘But that doesn’t mean it’s not a big step in the right direction. We believe it is important to keep Queenslanders safe.
A look at what a national child sex offender registry could look like
“It will be important in the domino effect to get all of Australia running on Daniel’s Law.”
Under Queensland law, the registry would have three levels, including a public website with names and photos of offenders who fail to meet their reporting obligations.
The public could also request information to find out which high-risk criminals live in their area.
At the third level, parents and guardians can inquire about adults spending unsupervised time with their children.
Bruce Morcombe said other states and territories must follow Queensland’s example for a national register to become a reality.
“We want a publicly accessible sex offender registry in each and every state and territory,” he said.
‘At a federal level it is impossible to do this because it depends on the states and territories to provide information.
“So we’re waiting for each of the states and territories to come together, see the merits of what Queensland is about to implement and do it themselves.”
The Daniel Morcombe Foundation was set up in 2005 by his parents, teaching children of all ages about safety across Australia with five new programs launching in the new year.
Bruce Morcombe believed that Daniel’s Law would complement the good work of the foundation and keep children safe.
Bruce Morcombe’s son Daniel was kidnapped by pedophile Brett Peter Cowan (above) in one of the most notorious child abduction cases in Australian history.
However, he warned parents and guardians to remain vigilant.
“To everyday moms and dads, please don’t fall into the trap of thinking ‘that won’t happen to me,'” she said.
‘It will be useful to have a publicly accessible sex offender register. But at the end of the day you have to look after your kids, make sure you’re one step ahead of who they chat to online.’
The Liberal National government pushed through laws ushering in harsher sentences for children after its successful “Adult Crime, Adult Time” election campaign.
Daniel’s Law will be part of the LNP’s next round of judicial reform.
“That was the commitment the Prime Minister gave to Bruce and Denise as we honor Daniel’s memory but also ensure that no other family goes through what Bruce and Denise had to go through,” said Deputy Prime Minister Jarrod Bleijie.
“It is through his enduring legacy… that his memory lives on.”