The Coalition would crack down on “drugs and thugs” with a new policy pledge including tougher narcotics laws and a new disclosure scheme to help parents “unmask” sex offenders who may be in contact with their children.
Peter Dutton said an elected Coalition government would spend $750m on its so-called Operation Safer Communities plan, to include tightened border security and safety laws, extra funding for police and investigators, and detection of illicit drugs.
With Dutton and the Coalition trailing in all published polls ahead of the 3 May election, the opposition is expected to use the final two weeks of the campaign to focus on its traditional safe grounds of national security, crime and defence.
A central part of the package, unveiled by Dutton on Monday, was a plan for a 12-month pilot of a national child sex offender disclosure scheme, which would let parents apply to police for information “about whether an individual who interacts with their children is a convicted sex offender”.
The year-long pilot would be funded with $21.3m from the federal government. Exact details would be worked through with states, said shadow attorney-general Michaelia Cash, but it would apply in situations where a person had unsupervised contact with a child for at least three days.
Dutton, as home affairs minister in 2019, had advocated for a publicly available register of sex offenders.
“This policy that Peter Dutton has announced is all about keeping drugs and thugs off our streets. This is what Peter Dutton is about, keeping Australians safe,” Cash told ABC radio.
Anthony Albanese said Labor had already taken strong steps on community safety, including an existing national child sex offender scheme allowing states and territories to share information and a national firearms registry expected to be operational in 2028.
He noted community safety issues were “responsibilities primarily of state police … But my government provides whatever support is required when it is requested”.
Dutton in a press conference defended his decision to elevate crime and child safety as a federal issue, saying it “requires national coordination” and referring to concerns about offenders moving between different jurisdictions.
“It is about providing police with what they need, providing support to community groups and bringing all the Commonwealth powers and agencies together to make sure that we can tackle crime alongside the state and territory police,” he said.
The Liberal leader said he would soon unveil a separate policy addressing domestic violence, an issue he called an “abomination” and something he wanted to “stand alone” from the Coalition’s broader crime policy.
Dutton said the Coalition’s pledge of $355m in extra funding to crack down on illegal drugs, including upgrades screening and detection capabilities, would be in addition to existing funding under Labor.
Monday’s announcement from the Coalition said the sex offender disclosure scheme would be modelled on schemes operating in Western Australia and the UK, which the opposition said had “unmasked thousands of paedophiles to worried parents and guardians.”
The WA model obliges anyone who receives information under the disclosure scheme to keep that information confidential, and forbids the publication or distribution of that information more widely so as to avoid harassment. Making a false application for information under the WA scheme is also an offence.
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“The scheme will be overseen by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC), while state and territory law enforcement will manage requests and vetting. The scheme will be introduced as a 12-month pilot to trial its uptake and administration,” the Coalition said in a statement.
Dutton said: “As a former police officer, and as a father, I have always fought for the protection of children from harm. This register is an idea whose time has come – and it is now time to put it into force to protect our kids.”
“The scheme will serve as a powerful deterrent to offenders and importantly will enable parents to be fully informed about their child’s safety.”
The health minister, Mark Butler, said Labor was “open” to the idea.
“I do note, of course, that Peter Dutton when he was the Minister for Home Affairs, promised a public register but didn’t deliver it. But we’re open to any good ideas about keeping the community safe,” he told the ABC.
Fellow Labor minister Murray Watt told ABC radio it was “a cynical move from Peter Dutton on the eve of an election”, noting the Coalition had opposed Labor reforms on money laundering last year.
Authorities would also target the importation and distribution of date rape drugs used to spike drinks.
Crime Stoppers would also be given $7.5 million over three years to expand its operations and help protect more people from offending in local communities.
The Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation would have its funding doubled.
– With AAP.
