Leaders from both sides of politics have called for better sharing of child protection information after a childcare worker was accused of more than 1000 incidents of abuse across two states.
Federal opposition leader Peter Dutton said he would support the establishment of a national child sex offender registry.
“I do believe that the time has come, and there’s been much debate about this in recent years,” he told parliament on Wednesday.
“The registry may have been one element that could have averted further victims falling at the hands of this individual in relation to the alleged offences that have taken place.”
Mr. Dutton previously campaigned for the registry as home affairs minister, but some have condemned the proposal as enabling vigilantes.
A spokesman for Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said evidence showed public registers were not effective for keeping kids safe.
“Any measures to keep kids safe from child sexual abuse need to be evidence-based,” he said.
The 45-year-old childcare worker faces 1,623 charges, including 136 counts of rape and 110 counts of sexual intercourse with a child under 10.
The offences were allegedly committed in Brisbane, Sydney and overseas between 2007 and 2022.
Premier Chris Minns said his government was looking at any gaps in the system to strengthen child protection.
Some 23 of the worker’s 87 alleged victims were in Sydney.
“The pain is unfathomable for the alleged victims of these horrendous crimes and their families,” Mr. Minns said.
The New South Wales (NSW) premier called for an immediate meeting of federal and state ministers to urgently improve information-sharing between jurisdictions.
The state’s oversight of education workers would be examined so that any red flags in any sector were visible to other agencies and other jurisdictions.
“I want NSW to lead in this important area of national reform,” Mr. Minns said.
Queensland leaders said the state’s working-with-children check system had worked appropriately in the case of the childcare worker, including when federal police advised the government of the alleged offences.
Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath said the “blue card” system was among the most stringent in the nation, and the man’s approval was suspended, and employers were notified when officials were notified.
The Gold Coast man’s arrest came after child abuse photos found by police on the dark web in 2014 were traced to a Brisbane childcare centre last year.
He was initially charged with two counts of making child exploitation material and one count of using a carriage service for child pornography material.
A police search of his home uncovered about 4000 images and videos the man had allegedly created and sparked a painstaking process to identify the alleged victims, all pre-pubescent girls.
NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Michael Fitzgerald said it was one of the most horrific cases he had seen in his 40-year police career, and the state would be seeking the man’s extradition to face more charges.
By Luke Costin and Duncan Murray
