The parents of abducted teenager Daniel Morcombe hope state legislation has a “domino effect” and ushers in a national public sex offender register.
Thirteen-year-old Daniel was murdered after being abducted while waiting for a bus on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast in late-2003.
More than 20 years later, his legacy lives on with the Queensland government in 2025 set to introduce Daniel’s Law – creating a publicly accessible sex offender register.
It would allow parents to search the photos and names of convicted child sex offenders.
Similar schemes have been adopted in South Australia and Western Australia.
But Daniel Morcombe’s father hopes it will soon become national, saying Queensland might yet prove the catalyst.
“It (public sex offender register) is not a silver bullet because if you haven’t been caught you won’t be on the register,” Bruce Morcombe said on Monday.
“But that doesn’t mean it’s not a great step in the right direction. We think it is important to keeping Queenslanders safe.
“It will be important in the domino effect to get all of Australia up and running with a Daniel’s Law.”
Under Queensland’s law, the register would have three tiers including a public website with names and photos of offenders who breach reporting obligations.
The public would also be able to apply to find out which high-risk offenders were living in their area.
Under the third tier, parents and guardians can inquire about adults who have unsupervised time with their children.
Bruce Morcombe said other states and territories must follow Queensland’s lead for a national register to become a reality.
“We do want a publicly accessible sex offender register in each and every state and territory,” he said.
“Federally it is impossible to do because it is reliant on the states and territories to supply information.
“So we are just waiting for each of the states and territories to come on board, see the merits of what Queensland is about to roll out and do it themselves.”
The Daniel Morcombe Foundation was set up in 2005 by his parents, teaching children of all ages about safety across Australia with five new programs to be launched in the new year.
Bruce Morcombe believed Daniel’s Law would complement the foundation’s good work and keep children safe.
However he warned parents and guardians to remain vigilant.
“To ordinary mums and dads out there please, don’t fall into the trap of thinking ‘that won’t happen to me’,” he said.
“A publicly accessible sex offender register will be helpful. But at the end of the day you must look after your kids, make sure you are one step ahead of who they are chatting to online.”
The Liberal National government pushed through laws ushering in harsher sentences for children after its successful “adult crime, adult time” election campaign.
Daniel’s Law will be part of the LNP’s next round of justice reform.
“That was the commitment the premier gave to Bruce and Denise as we honour the memory of Daniel but also ensure no other family will go though what Bruce and Denise had to go through,” Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie said.
“It’s through their enduring legacy … that his memory lives on.”
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
