Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Justice and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Counter-Terrorism. Will the minister update the House on what the government is doing to protect vulnerable children from child sex offenders both in Australia and overseas?

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Members on my right will cease interjecting. I am listening to the question and there is a wall of interjections from both sides. I have listened to the question and I am now calling the Minister for Justice.

Michael Keenan (Stirling, Liberal Party, Minister for Justice) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Swan for that question. He knows that the government will not tolerate the exploitation of vulnerable children, whether it occurs here in Australia or whether it occurs overseas. This morning this government introduced legislation that will stop registered child sex offenders from travelling overseas to commit unspeakable acts of depravity. This is a world first and the strongest crackdown on child sex tourism ever. No other country has ever taken such strong and decisive action to stop its citizens from leaving its borders to abuse children overseas.

Once this bill is passed, it will allow the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to take immediate action to cancel the passports of registered child sex offenders for the duration of their reporting requirements under the National Child Offender Register. Last year alone we know that 780 people who were on that register travelled overseas. So far this year the figure is almost 400, which is two offenders leaving Australia per day, and one-third of those offenders travelled without permission, which is in clear breach of their reporting obligations and is a sure sign of ill intent. These offenders often travel to vulnerable countries which do not have the same laws, the same cultures or the same policing capability, and therefore this provides a more permissive environment for people to abuse children.

This government will continue to do what it can to protect vulnerable children both overseas and in Australia. Last night we saw a milestone in this House—the Criminal Code Amendment (Protecting Minors Online) Bill, which is also known as Carly's law, was passed. This law is named after Carly Ryan, who was a 15-year-old South Australian schoolgirl who was raped and murdered 10 years ago by a 50-year-old man who had posed online as a 20-year-old man. Once this bill passes through the parliament, it will be a testament to her mother, Sonya Ryan, who has used the intervening 10 years to campaign for the greater protection of children online. The offence will provide police with the power to intervene before predators have a chance to act or before a child can be harmed. Carly's law, once passed, will complement this government's ongoing approach to countering the sexual exploitation of children online, which is spearheaded by the Australian Federal Police's ThinkUKnow program, which educates students, parents and teachers about dangers online.

These two bills will be substantial steps forward for the protection of children here in Australia and overseas. Both these pieces of legislation enhance the protection of children, and I urge the House to deal with them as expeditiously as possible.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.