Daniel's Law sex offender register needs redraft, MPs say
A parliamentary inquiry found the public disclosure scheme could give false safety and increase reoffending risks.
Tasmania's parliament has been told to redraft Daniel's Law. The law aims to protect children by letting parents ask police a question.
Parents could ask if someone with regular unsupervised access to their child is a registered sex offender. The bill is named after Daniel Morcombe, a 13-year-old murdered on the Sunshine Coast in 2003.
A parliamentary inquiry on Monday found the scheme could backfire. Parents may feel false safety about registered offenders.
But they might miss an important fact. Most child abuse comes from people known to families.
The scheme could also increase reoffending. It might push offenders toward social isolation, unemployment, housing instability, and vigilantism.
The inquiry recommended the bill be withdrawn and completely redrafted. Police Minister Felix Ellis said delaying it was not in the public interest.
Daniel's parents told the inquiry they wanted the laws to work properly and have teeth.
- Daniel Morcombe, 13 years old
- Victim's name and age
- December 2003, Sunshine Coast
- Murder date and location
- Bill withdrawn and completely redrafted
- Inquiry's recommendation
Why it mattersWell-meaning child safety laws can fail if they give false confidence. They can also backfire by pushing offenders toward isolation and reoffending rather than preventing it.
AustraliaTasmania is watching other states: Queensland introduced similar legislation in 2025, so this inquiry's findings may reshape how other Australian parliaments approach offender disclosure schemes.
Corroborated bythenightly.com.au
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 57 min ago
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