Daniel Morcombe’s family hails paedophile register as ‘a giant leap forward’
The family of murdered schoolboy Daniel Morcombe have thrown their support behind a government plan for a national register of child sex offenders.
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton is urging the states and territories to get behind what he calls, “the toughest crackdown on paedophiles in Australia’s history”.
The register would publish a convicted paedophile’s name, aliases, photograph, date of birth, nature of offending and postcode.
Daniel Morecombe was abducted and murdered by convicted child-sex offender Brett Peter Cowan in December 2003, with his family campaigning for child safety ever since.
Daniel’s father, Bruce, tells John Stanley the government’s plan has brought overwhelming relief to his family.
“This is a breath of fresh air, and Denise [Daniel’s mother] and I have a big bound in our step this morning.
“This is a great leap forward, albeit only an announcement at this stage, but a very positive one.”
Bruce says the register isn’t about stopping individual paedophiles but about creating greater public awareness.
“It’s about educating the public,” he says.
“We know it’s not the magic bullet because the information on the database are only people that have been caught.
“But at the end of the day, it generates conversation and it makes the general public aware.”
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