George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

As I am in the process of explaining to you, Senator, there is a national child sex offender register which was launched by the Howard government. It is not a public register, but it is a register that makes sure that relevant information is shared among state and territory authorities. I might add that, as well, the Australian Federal Police have a significant child protection unit. Let me return though, if I may, to the way in which the national child offender scheme works. If a person who is registered under the national child offender scheme fails to comply with any of the reporting obligations to which they are subject, or if such a person provides false or misleading information to the authorities, then that itself is a crime that attracts significant penalties. That is the way in which we deal with the matter—through the exchange of information on this register.