Government plan to introduce new laws to target paedophiles

Tough new laws will help prevent the “greatest nightmare for any parent” of their child being groomed online by a paedophile.

The Federal Government is planning tough new laws that could see paedophiles locked up for longer and make it harder for them to avoid jail.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said it was “every parent’s worst nightmare” to discover their child had been groomed online.

“We are concerned that about one in three paedophiles don’t end up in jail and it gives kids who suffer from sexual abuse as children a lifelong sentence,” he said on Channel 7‘s Sunrise this morning.

Under legislation that could be introduced as soon as next week, jail sentences for paedophiles could be increased, including life for the worst offenders.

Other proposals include making it harder to get bail or parole, ensuring the minimum sentence is a quarter of the maximum term and adding sentences for multiple offences together instead of allowing them to be served concurrently.

The new laws would mainly target online and international sex crimes.

Tough new sentences could be introduced for convicted paedophiles. Picture: iStock

“It simply beggars belief that nearly a third of all child sex offenders who were sentenced last year were not required to spend a single day behind bars, despite the devastating and lifelong impacts that their crimes have on their young victims and their families,” Attorney-General Christian Porter told The Daily Telegraph on Tuesday.

Last year around 100 convicted paedophiles walked free from jail and instead served suspended or non-custodial sentences for offences such as grooming and sending indecent material.

Mr Dutton said the legislation was not a “silver bullet” to prevent paedophilia but it would act as a strong deterrent.

“It’s the greatest nightmare for any parent to have their child groomed online by some paedophile,” he said.

“We need to lock up those people that are doing the wrong thing and send a very clear message that it is unacceptable and not going to jail for a crime of this type doesn’t reflect community expectations.”

Mr Dutton said “community expectations” led to the proposal for mandatory sentencing.

With AAP