Police will be given sweeping new powers to randomly inspect the homes of child sex offenders and demand passwords to their computers under proposed changes to New South Wales legislation.
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The changes would allow police to inspect the home of a known sex offender without notice every twelve months and punish them with fines or imprisonment if they do not co-operate.
"A registered sex offender will be required to allow a police officer to enter and inspect his or her residential premises as part of their reporting obligations," said Michael Gallacher, NSW Minister for Police and Emergency Services.
"Police will be able to randomly and without notice inspect their home once in the first 28 days and yearly thereafter.
"The registered sex offender must co-operate with police which may include providing log-in details and passwords to allow on the spot checks on computer usage."
If sex offenders fail to hand over these details, they could face two months in prison or a $2000 fine.
The bill also prevents sex offenders from working in close proximity to children and increases the penalty to five years in prison for those who attempt to contact their victims or visit sites where the abuse occurred.
Specific jobs prohibited for sex offenders include volunteering, working as a self-employed contractor where they may come in contact with children, or educational vocational training.
"The bill will also increase the maximum penalty for failing to comply with a Child Protection Prohibition Order to 500 penalty units or five years imprisonment, or possibly both," said NSW Attorney-General Greg Smith.
