The Australian Federal Police Association (AFPA) is calling for a national scheme, similar to the UK’s ‘Sarah’s Law’, that would let parents and guardians ask police if someone in contact with their child is a convicted child sex offender.
AFPA President Alex Caruana said the need for such a scheme has been made clear by a recent case in Victoria, where a 22-year-old childcare worker was charged with 74 offences, including sexual assault and the production and possession of child abuse material.
“The alleged offences happened at the Creative Garden Early Learning Centre in Point Cook between April 2022 and January 2023, involving eight children aged between five months and two years,”
“The accused had a valid Working with Children Check, no known criminal history, and had worked at 20 childcare centres across Melbourne over eight years. That means thousands of children could have been at risk. We need more tools to identify potential threats, and a national disclosure system like ‘Sarah’s Law’ would be one of them,” Mr Caruana said.
Ahead of the May 2025 Federal Election, the Coalition put forward reforms on child sex offender disclosure as part of its election platform. The AFPA supported this proposal and supports the existing legislation in Western Australia, known as the Community Protection Disclosure Scheme.
Mr Caruana said such a scheme would provide parents with vital information to better protect their children.
“In the UK, ‘Sarah’s Law’, officially known as the Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme, was introduced after the murder of eight-year-old Sarah Payne in 2000. It allows parents and carers to ask police if someone with access to their child has a record of child sex offences. If police believe there is a risk to the child, they can disclose relevant information, as long as it’s lawful, proportionate, and in the child’s best interests.
“These disclosures follow strict checks and are made under tight conditions. If Australia were to adopt a similar model, we might need to amend privacy laws, such as the Privacy Act 1988, to permit the limited disclosure of this type of information. While privacy laws are in place to protect individual rights, child safety must take precedence.
“The UK model gets the balance right. Disclosures are tightly controlled, but they give parents the information they need to keep their children safe. The AFPA believes we can do the same here. It’s about protecting kids while still respecting privacy, transparency and accountability,” Mr Caruana said.
The AFPA is also raising concerns about the ACT Government’s decision to introduce an $11 levy on volunteer applications for the Working with Vulnerable People (WWVP) card.
Mr Caruana said that while the fee might seem small, it creates a barrier for people, especially volunteers, who are required to hold the card.
“This could lead to a drop in properly vetted volunteers across schools, sports clubs and community organisations. Anything that discourages volunteers from applying for a WWVP card puts vulnerable people, especially children, at greater risk. The ACT Government needs to think about the ripple effects of these kinds of fees. Safety checks should be easy and affordable, making them more accessible to a broader range of people.
“If fewer volunteers hold valid WWVP cards, it becomes harder to make sure that vulnerable people and children are only interacting with people who have been appropriately screened.”
The AFPA is urging the Federal Government to prioritise a national child sex offender disclosure scheme, with strong safeguards in place from the beginning.
Mr Caruana said the AFPA stands ready to work with all levels of government and the wider community to get this done and help prevent future tragedies.
Media Contact: AFPA Media and Government Relations Manager Troy Roberts – (02) 6285 1677 – troy.r@afpa.org.au
The Australian Federal Police Association (AFPA) is calling for a national scheme, similar to the UK’s ‘Sarah’s Law’, that would let parents and guardians ask police if someone in contact with their child is a convicted child sex offender.
AFPA President Alex Caruana said the need for such a scheme has been made clear by a recent case in Victoria, where a 22-year-old childcare worker was charged with 74 offences, including sexual assault and the production and possession of child abuse material.
“The alleged offences happened at the Creative Garden Early Learning Centre in Point Cook between April 2022 and January 2023, involving eight children aged between five months and two years,”
“The accused had a valid Working with Children Check, no known criminal history, and had worked at 20 childcare centres across Melbourne over eight years. That means thousands of children could have been at risk. We need more tools to identify potential threats, and a national disclosure system like ‘Sarah’s Law’ would be one of them,” Mr Caruana said.
Ahead of the May 2025 Federal Election, the Coalition put forward reforms on child sex offender disclosure as part of its election platform. The AFPA supported this proposal and supports the existing legislation in Western Australia, known as the Community Protection Disclosure Scheme.
Mr Caruana said such a scheme would provide parents with vital information to better protect their children.
“In the UK, ‘Sarah’s Law’, officially known as the Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme, was introduced after the murder of eight-year-old Sarah Payne in 2000. It allows parents and carers to ask police if someone with access to their child has a record of child sex offences. If police believe there is a risk to the child, they can disclose relevant information, as long as it’s lawful, proportionate, and in the child’s best interests.
“These disclosures follow strict checks and are made under tight conditions. If Australia were to adopt a similar model, we might need to amend privacy laws, such as the Privacy Act 1988, to permit the limited disclosure of this type of information. While privacy laws are in place to protect individual rights, child safety must take precedence.
“The UK model gets the balance right. Disclosures are tightly controlled, but they give parents the information they need to keep their children safe. The AFPA believes we can do the same here. It’s about protecting kids while still respecting privacy, transparency and accountability,” Mr Caruana said.
The AFPA is also raising concerns about the ACT Government’s decision to introduce an $11 levy on volunteer applications for the Working with Vulnerable People (WWVP) card.
Mr Caruana said that while the fee might seem small, it creates a barrier for people, especially volunteers, who are required to hold the card.
“This could lead to a drop in properly vetted volunteers across schools, sports clubs and community organisations. Anything that discourages volunteers from applying for a WWVP card puts vulnerable people, especially children, at greater risk. The ACT Government needs to think about the ripple effects of these kinds of fees. Safety checks should be easy and affordable, making them more accessible to a broader range of people.
“If fewer volunteers hold valid WWVP cards, it becomes harder to make sure that vulnerable people and children are only interacting with people who have been appropriately screened.”
The AFPA is urging the Federal Government to prioritise a national child sex offender disclosure scheme, with strong safeguards in place from the beginning.
Mr Caruana said the AFPA stands ready to work with all levels of government and the wider community to get this done and help prevent future tragedies.
Media Contact: AFPA Media and Government Relations Manager Troy Roberts – (02) 6285 1677 – troy.r@afpa.org.au
