House of Representatives Date: 28 October 2025
Speaker:
I give the call to the Member for Fisher.
Andrew Wallace MP:
I seek leave to move the following motion:
(1) the Crimes Amendment (Mandatory Minimum Sentences for Child Sexual Abuse) Bill 2025 stand referred to the Federation Chamber;
(2) the bill be called on for debate immediately following constituency statements today, with the time for each second reading speech limited to 10 minutes; and
(3) proceedings on the bill have priority over all other government legislation, with debate concluding no later than 6 pm today and any questions required to complete the bill’s consideration in the Federation Chamber being put immediately.
Leave not granted.
I move:
That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the following:
(1) the Crimes Amendment (Mandatory Minimum Sentences for Child Sexual Abuse) Bill 2025 standing referred to the Federation Chamber;
(2) the bill being called on for debate immediately following constituency statements today, with the time for each second reading speech limited to 10 minutes; and
(3) proceedings on the bill having priority over all other government legislation, with debate concluding no later than 6 pm today and any questions required to complete the bill’s consideration in the Federation Chamber being put immediately.
I rise today to speak on a matter of the utmost seriousness and urgency. This Parliament must act now to protect the most vulnerable members of our society: our children. This is not an issue that can wait for another sitting week or another round of debates. The safety of our children demands immediate action, which is why I moved that the standing orders be suspended so that this bill can be brought on and dealt with immediately.
This bill is about the protection of Australian children. It is about sending an unmistakable message to those who exploit, abuse or prey upon children that they will face justice and that they will face serious prison time. Child sexual offences are among the most serious offences in the Commonwealth statute book. Any person who commits one of these crimes should expect to spend a long time in prison. I do not believe there is a single right-minded, decent parent in this country who would disagree.
This bill is also about restoring public confidence in the justice system. Families across Australia have been clear: they want their children to be safe. They are horrified by what they see in the media. They are deeply concerned about the proliferation of child sexual abuse, particularly online, and they are dismayed when they see offenders walking free after only a few months behind bars.
Four Corners showed what parents already fear: gaps in staffing, ratios and checks are letting offenders near our kids. Parents deserve more than promises. After last night’s revelations, we need stronger sentencing for Commonwealth offences and a national lift in safeguards, information sharing and enforcement to make clear that if you exploit a child online or through a carriage service you will face real prison time, not a slap on the wrist.
The statistics are devastating. The Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation recorded 82,764 reports of online child exploitation in 2024–25. That is more than 226 reports every single day. Over the last year alone, reports of online child sexual abuse increased by 41 per cent. This is not an isolated problem. This is a national epidemic. Given those numbers, there is no justification for delay. We cannot allow a system that hands down sentences measured in months for crimes of extraordinary depravity.
The case that has shocked the Australian community in recent times is DPP v Maloney in Victoria. It involved a father who sexually abused his five-year-old daughter on 19 separate occasions and who produced and transmitted 77 separate files of child sexual abuse material. Those files included 13 videos and 64 images. The judgement makes for unbearable reading. The little girl knew what was happening to her was wrong. On at least two occasions, she told her father she didn’t like it. She was just five years old. Yet, despite this, the offender will be eligible for release after just two and a half years.
For the Commonwealth offences of producing and transmitting child abuse material, he received a sentence of only six months imprisonment before release on a recognisance order. Six months for producing and sharing videos of a child—his own daughter no less—being sexually assaulted. That is not justice; that is an abject failure, and that failure demands immediate action by this government.
The Commonwealth does not have a general power to make criminal laws—that is a matter for the states—however, the Commonwealth does have jurisdiction when a carriage service, such as the internet or the postal service, is used to commit these crimes. This bill deals with those specific offences. It does not create new offences. It strengthens sentences for existing ones.
Specifically, the bill amends the Crimes Act to establish mandatory minimum sentences of five years imprisonment for five existing offences relating to child abuse material transmitted or possessed through a carriage or postal service. For second or subsequent offences, the mandatory minimum will increase to six years. Importantly, this bill closes the loophole that allowed the court in the Maloney case to release the offender after just six months in prison. Under this bill, a recognisance release order cannot be granted for these crimes unless exceptional circumstances exist. This reform is not radical. It is necessary, it is reasonable and it reflects the expectations of the Australian community.
When the Coalition introduced mandatory minimum sentences in 2019, it was because 39 per cent of Commonwealth child sex offenders were not serving a single day in prison. That was unacceptable then and it remains unacceptable now. Since the introduction of those reforms we’ve seen real improvements: more offenders are pleading guilty, sentences are longer, rehabilitation rates have improved, the community is safer. But cases like Maloney show that more must be done. That is why we must act now.
The Coalition seeks bipartisanship on this bill. The Attorney has said publicly that she’s open to considering this proposal. I welcome that, but words are not enough. The time for consideration is over. It is time to act. This bill should not be delayed by procedural obstacles. Standing orders should be suspended so it can be debated and passed without delay. The community expects no less.
The impacts of child sexual abuse are lifelong: 95 per cent of survivors experience long-term mental health consequences, 67 per cent struggle in their relationships, and 56 per cent suffer setbacks in their education and finances. The trauma endures for decades. It destroys lives; it breaks families. Too often, victims of abuse become offenders themselves. That is the devastating cycle that we are duty-bound to break.
Some will argue that longer sentences don’t reduce reoffending, but while an offender is behind bars they cannot harm another child. Longer sentences incapacitate offenders, protect communities and send a clear and powerful message that this nation will not tolerate sexual abuse of children. Longer sentences also deter potential offenders who know the consequences are real and severe. Most importantly, they restore faith that our justice system stands with victims, not with perpetrators.
Every day that we delay, another 226 reports of online child exploitation are received. Every day that we delay, more children are abused. Every day that we delay, we fail those who depend upon us for protection. That is why this bill must be passed urgently, and that is why the standing orders must be suspended today.
I call on every member of this House, regardless of their political affiliation, to support this motion. Let’s act together, let’s act decisively, and let’s act now. Every child deserves protection, and every offender deserves real punishment. This Parliament has the power to make that happen. Let us not waste another day.
I commend the motion to the House.
END
Media Contact: Brendan West – 0402 556 646 – Brendan.west@aph.gov.au
