sec.3Purposes of this Act

### sec.3 Purposes of this Act Parliament recognises that any risk to the lives or sexual safety of 1 or more children, or of children generally, is unacceptable. The purposes of this Act are— to provide for the protection of the lives of children and their sexual safety; and to require particular offenders who commit sexual, or particular other serious, offences against children to keep police informed of the offender’s whereabouts and other personal details for a period of time after the offender’s release into the community— to reduce the likelihood that the offender will re-offend; and to facilitate the investigation and prosecution of any future offences that the offender may commit; and to protect the community by facilitating the release of information relating to particular offenders in particular circumstances to the public. In outline, this Act— provides for the establishment of a child protection register; and requires offenders who are sentenced for reportable offences to report specified personal details for inclusion in the register; and requires those reportable offenders to keep those details up to date, to report those details periodically and to also report particular travel plans; and imposes those reporting obligations for a period of between 2 1 / 2 years and life, depending on the number, severity and timing of the offences committed, and the age of the reportable offender at the time an offence was committed; and allows for the recognition of the period of reporting obligations imposed under laws of foreign jurisdictions; and provides for the making of orders against particular offenders who commit sexual, or particular other serious, offences against children to— prohibit the offenders from engaging in conduct posing a risk to the safety or wellbeing of 1 or more children, or of children generally; or require the offenders to do particular things to reduce the risk to the safety or wellbeing of 1 or more children, or of children generally; and allows for the disclosure or publication of information relating to particular reportable offenders in particular circumstances through the operation of a public child sex offender register. Subsection (2) is intended only as a guide to readers about the general scheme and effect of this Act. s 3 amd 2014 No. 34 s 4 ; 2017 No. 14 s 5 ; 2018 No. 20 s 3A ; 2023 No. 10 s 4 ; 2025 No. 25 s 4 (sec.3-ssec.1) Parliament recognises that any risk to the lives or sexual safety of 1 or more children, or of children generally, is unacceptable. (sec.3-ssec.1A) The purposes of this Act are— to provide for the protection of the lives of children and their sexual safety; and to require particular offenders who commit sexual, or particular other serious, offences against children to keep police informed of the offender’s whereabouts and other personal details for a period of time after the offender’s release into the community— to reduce the likelihood that the offender will re-offend; and to facilitate the investigation and prosecution of any future offences that the offender may commit; and to protect the community by facilitating the release of information relating to particular offenders in particular circumstances to the public. (sec.3-ssec.2) In outline, this Act— provides for the establishment of a child protection register; and requires offenders who are sentenced for reportable offences to report specified personal details for inclusion in the register; and requires those reportable offenders to keep those details up to date, to report those details periodically and to also report particular travel plans; and imposes those reporting obligations for a period of between 2 1 / 2 years and life, depending on the number, severity and timing of the offences committed, and the age of the reportable offender at the time an offence was committed; and allows for the recognition of the period of reporting obligations imposed under laws of foreign jurisdictions; and provides for the making of orders against particular offenders who commit sexual, or particular other serious, offences against children to— prohibit the offenders from engaging in conduct posing a risk to the safety or wellbeing of 1 or more children, or of children generally; or require the offenders to do particular things to reduce the risk to the safety or wellbeing of 1 or more children, or of children generally; and allows for the disclosure or publication of information relating to particular reportable offenders in particular circumstances through the operation of a public child sex offender register. (sec.3-ssec.3) Subsection (2) is intended only as a guide to readers about the general scheme and effect of this Act. - (a) to provide for the protection of the lives of children and their sexual safety; and - (b) to require particular offenders who commit sexual, or particular other serious, offences against children to keep police informed of the offender’s whereabouts and other personal details for a period of time after the offender’s release into the community— (i) to reduce the likelihood that the offender will re-offend; and (ii) to facilitate the investigation and prosecution of any future offences that the offender may commit; and - (i) to reduce the likelihood that the offender will re-offend; and - (ii) to facilitate the investigation and prosecution of any future offences that the offender may commit; and - (c) to protect the community by facilitating the release of information relating to particular offenders in particular circumstances to the public. - (i) to reduce the likelihood that the offender will re-offend; and - (ii) to facilitate the investigation and prosecution of any future offences that the offender may commit; and - (a) provides for the establishment of a child protection register; and - (b) requires offenders who are sentenced for reportable offences to report specified personal details for inclusion in the register; and - (c) requires those reportable offenders to keep those details up to date, to report those details periodically and to also report particular travel plans; and - (d) imposes those reporting obligations for a period of between 2 1 / 2 years and life, depending on the number, severity and timing of the offences committed, and the age of the reportable offender at the time an offence was committed; and - (e) allows for the recognition of the period of reporting obligations imposed under laws of foreign jurisdictions; and - (f) provides for the making of orders against particular offenders who commit sexual, or particular other serious, offences against children to— (i) prohibit the offenders from engaging in conduct posing a risk to the safety or wellbeing of 1 or more children, or of children generally; or (ii) require the offenders to do particular things to reduce the risk to the safety or wellbeing of 1 or more children, or of children generally; and - (i) prohibit the offenders from engaging in conduct posing a risk to the safety or wellbeing of 1 or more children, or of children generally; or - (ii) require the offenders to do particular things to reduce the risk to the safety or wellbeing of 1 or more children, or of children generally; and - (g) allows for the disclosure or publication of information relating to particular reportable offenders in particular circumstances through the operation of a public child sex offender register. - (i) prohibit the offenders from engaging in conduct posing a risk to the safety or wellbeing of 1 or more children, or of children generally; or - (ii) require the offenders to do particular things to reduce the risk to the safety or wellbeing of 1 or more children, or of children generally; and