Tasmania Considers Expanding Daniel's Law Child Sex Offender Register

Eight months after Queensland introduced Daniel's Law – a publicly searchable child sex offender register named for Daniel Morcombe, whose 2003 murder sparked a national safety campaign – his parents Denise and Bruce Morcombe are urging the Tasmanian government to adopt a similar scheme. The proposal under parliamentary review would let parents or guardians ask police whether a person with regular, unsupervised access to their child appears on the register and would grant police broader powers to monitor offenders online and in the community.

In Queensland’s first six months, the website recorded more than 381,000 visits and 44,000 locality searches; three offenders were charged for breaching obligations, and there was no rise in vigilantism. Supporters, including the Morcombes, argue the register enhances child safety by fostering cooperation between police and the community. However, two Tasmanian survivor‑support services – Laurel House and the Sexual Assault Support Service – warn that public disclosure schemes have not been shown to reduce offending, may shift responsibility onto parents, and could expose supporters to criminal liability for sharing information. They call for clearer guidelines on how the system would operate.