PUBLIC COMMENT SOUGHT ON REFORMS TO CHILD SEX OFFENCES
11 September 2009
Minister for Home Affairs Brendan O’Connor today invited the public to comment on proposed reforms to child sexual exploitation laws.
“The Government is committed to protecting children from all kinds of harm and the proposed reforms will strengthen existing laws to help combat the sickening transnational trade in child abuse,” Mr O’Connor said.
“Australia already has a strong framework in place to prevent, investigate and prosecute all forms of child exploitation and the reforms proposed today will ensure comprehensive and up-to-date Commonwealth criminal offences to fight these reprehensible crimes.”
The proposed reforms:
- strengthen child sex tourism laws and introduce offences for dealing in child pornography or child abuse material overseas so all behaviour relating to sexual offences against children by Australians within Australia is also criminalised when committed by Australians overseas
- strengthen offences to ensure that child sexual exploitation is comprehensively covered, whether committed online, through the post or using convergent devices such as mobile phones
- increase the maximum penalties for the carriage service (online) child pornography and child abuse material offences to 15 years imprisonment, and
- introduce new aggravated offences relating to child pornography networks that carry a maximum penalty of 25 years imprisonment.
“Child pornography involves the abuse of children and the amplification of the original offence,” Mr O’Connor said.
“This is a transnational crime with networks convened through the anonymity of the Internet and we need to ensure a robust system of laws and penalties to protect the children abused by these highly organised criminals.
“We also need to ensure Australians who travel overseas to sexually exploit children will not escape the punishment which they would have received had the person committed such an offence in Australia.”
The public has until Friday, 23 October to comment on the proposal, which can be obtained from the Attorney-General’s Department website www.ag.gov.au.
“I encourage all interested parties to make a submission,” Mr O’Connor said.
Media Contact: Christian Taubenschlag 0438 595 567
