How are reportable offenders managed in Queensland?

An Australian Child Protection Offender Reporting scheme was established by legislation in each Australian State and Territory. This national scheme requires child sex offenders, and other defined categories of serious offenders against children, to keep police informed of their whereabouts and other personal details for a period of time after they are released into the community.

The Queensland component of the scheme was established by the Child Protection (Offender Reporting and Offender Prohibition Order) Act 2004. This legislation established a Child Protection Register, which is managed by the Child Protection Offender Registry, which is part of the Queensland Police Service’s Child Abuse and Sexual Crime Group. This non-public register is not intended to be punitive in nature but is implemented to protect the community by reducing the likelihood that an offender will reoffend and to facilitate the investigation and prosecution of any future offences that they may commit.

The Child Protection Offender Registry is supported at a local level by police officers who work in the community to monitor reportable offenders.