Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has unveiled a sweeping law and order policy package, pledging to trial a national child sex offender disclosure scheme and establish a $355 million strike team to combat organised crime, if the Coalition is returned to government.
The centrepiece of the proposal is a child sex offender register that would allow parents or guardians to confidentially request information from police about whether a person in contact with their child has a relevant conviction. The scheme would be rolled out as a 12-month pilot, funded with $21.3 million, and modelled on similar programs in Western Australia and the United Kingdom.
“This register is an idea whose time has come — and it is now time to put it into force to protect our kids,” Mr Dutton said.
“As a former police officer and as a father, I have always fought for the protection of children from harm.
This scheme will serve as a powerful deterrent to offenders and importantly will enable parents to be fully informed about their child’s safety.”
The register would operate under strict conditions, allowing law enforcement to disclose information only in cases where a genuine relationship exists between the requester and the child, and where police determine it is appropriate.
The announcement comes amid growing public concern about community safety, and is part of the Coalition’s wider campaign narrative painting the Albanese government as soft on crime.
Alongside the register, the Coalition plans to establish a national “strike team” to target illicit drug networks and organised crime, staffed by Australian Federal Police officers embedded within state and territory agencies. The team would be supported by financial investigators and prosecutors, with assets seized from criminals redirected to community initiatives.
The policy package also includes plans to upgrade border detection technologies, strengthen laws targeting date-rape drugs, and enhance proceeds of crime legislation.
Shadow Attorney-General Michaelia Cash aimed for the government’s record, accusing Labor of turning a blind eye to rising criminal activity.
“When it comes to crime gangs running riot, particularly in Victoria, Australians are seeing the consequences of inaction every day,” she said.
“Anthony Albanese is soft on crime. He’s ignored the wave of organised crime and stayed silent on blatant criminal behaviour within the CFMEU.”
Government minister Murray Watt told ABC Radio National that police already have internal systems in place for tracking sex offenders and sharing information between jurisdictions. However, he did not rule out supporting the Coalition’s proposed disclosure model.
“We will always look at what future supports our federal law enforcement agencies need,”
Senator Watt said.
But he also criticised the timing of the announcement, describing it as a last-minute pitch ahead of an election by a party that had previously blocked measures to strengthen financial crime laws.
Labor recently announced an additional $156.7 million in the federal budget to combat illicit tobacco smuggling and transnational crime, and maintains that its funding commitments to policing and intelligence agencies are sufficient.
Still, the Coalition’s move reflects a broader effort to recast Peter Dutton’s image as a tough, solutions-driven leader focused on child safety and national security — themes that have long resonated with his conservative base.
Disclosure schemes like the one proposed have drawn praise in jurisdictions where they have already been implemented. Western Australia’s system has led to dozens of disclosures since its inception, and advocates say it empowers parents to make better decisions about their children’s safety.
However, critics warn that such schemes must be handled with care, particularly to protect privacy and prevent vigilantism. Under the Coalition’s plan, any information released to parents would be tightly controlled, and sharing that information further would be prohibited.
If elected, the Coalition would consult with states and territories to ensure consistent national implementation.
With just over two weeks until the election, the policy is likely to strike a chord with voters concerned about child protection, crime, and community safety, and could serve as a potent reminder of the Coalition’s traditional law-and-order credentials.
Whether it changes the electoral equation remains to be seen, but for Dutton, it is a message of clarity and control in a campaign increasingly defined by uncertainty.
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