Public Child Sex Offender Register (Qld)
In January 2026, the Community Protection and Public Child Sex Offender Register (Daniel’s Law) Act 2025 came into force in Queensland. It establishes a public child sex offender register, which individual members of the public can consult. The new register will function in conjunction with the existing Child Protection Offender Register, which can only be used by the police. This page outlines how the public child sex offender register will operate.
Daniel’s Law
The Register is named Daniel’s Law, after 13-year-old Daniel Morcombe who was abducted from the Sunshine Coast and murdered in 2003.
It is designed to keep Queensland children safer by making information about known child sex offenders available to parents and community members under some circumstances.
Under Daniel’s Law, there are three types of child sex offender disclosure.
Missing reportable offenders
The register has a page where any reportable child sex offenders who are currently missing may have their details listed and photographs published, in order for families and communities to keep their children safer.
In order to access this information, a user must read a list of conditions and click ‘I agree’ before proceeding to the next page. In summary, the conditions are that:
- the information will only be used to keep children safe
- the information must not be published without permission
- the user agrees not to intimidate or harass a person suspected of being an offender
- the user understands that misusing the information may result in penalties including fines or terms of imprisonment.
A reportable child sex offender is a person who has reporting obligations under the the existing Child Protection (Offender Reporting and Offender Prohibition Order) Act 2004.
Locality search
The register allows users to conduct a Locality Search.
To apply to do a locality search, a person must provide photo identification with proof of their address, such as a driver’s license.
If there are reportable offenders in their locality, they will be provided with the details of the persons including photographs and the general area they live in.
Parents and guardians disclosure application
A parent or guardian may apply to the police for information as to whether an adult who spends time alone with their child is a reportable offender in Queensland.
When an application is submitted, proof of guardianship or parental responsibility must be provided – for example, a birth certificate or court order. The applicant must also explain the type of contact the person is or will be having with their child and where it will occur.
The only information that will be disclosed in response to an application is whether or not the person is a reportable offender in Queensland.
Offences
There are two criminal offences established under the Act.
Intimidating or harassing an identified offender
Under section 74AJ of the Community Protection and Public Child Sex Offender Register (Daniel’s Law) Act 2025, it is an offence for a person to by a public act intentionally intimidate or harass a person they believe or suspect is an identified offender, or to incite another person to do so. The maximum penalty for this offence is imprisonment for 10 years.
It is also an offence for a person to engage in a public act that is likely to intimidate or harass a person who they believe, or suspect, is an identified offender, or to incite another person to do so. The maximum penalty for this offence is imprisonment for three years.
Displaying distributing or publishing identifying information
Under section 74AK of the Act, it is an offence to display, distribute, or publish any identifying information without permission from the police commissioner. The maximum penalty for this offence is imprisonment for three years.
Community responses
Responses to the introduction of the register have been mixed, with some people feeling that it will make families and community safer, and others fearing that it will lead to harassment of listed offenders and be ineffective in preventing future offending.
The Queensland Council for Civil Liberties and Legal Aid Queensland both argued in submissions before parliament that the legislation was unlikely to reduce child sex offending and could lead to a false sense of security, as child sex offenders are often already known to their victims’ families, and that the registry therefore did not address the most common risks.
Other criticisms of the registry include that it has the potential to make reintegration into the community more difficult for sex offenders, as publicly identifying offenders could make it harder for them to find work or accommodation, leading to higher risk of reoffending rather than a reduction in risk. The registry was also seen as posing a risk of vigilante behaviour against offenders.
The Daniel Morcombe Foundation and other child-safety advocacy groups have publicly supported the law.
The government has framed the register as a way to empower communities with information and assist police in chasing non-compliant offenders. They argue legal safeguards will help ensure that the information is not misused.
If you need legal advice or assistance, please contact Go To Court Lawyers.
Fernanda Dahlstrom is a writer, editor and lawyer. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (Latrobe University), a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice (College of Law), a Bachelor of Arts (The University of Melbourne) and a Master of Arts (Deakin University). Fernanda practised law for eight years, working in criminal law, child protection and domestic violence law in the Northern Territory, and in family law in Queensland.