No need for Aust sex offender register: PM
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has indicated he's not in favour of a national sex offenders register, saying such lists don't exist for murderers, thieves or white collar criminals.
The Northern Territory will soon become the first jurisdiction in Australia to introduce a public sex offender register, to be named after murdered Queensland teenager Daniel Morcombe.
Federal coalition MP George Christensen has urged the Abbott government to roll out the register nationally, saying sex offenders gave up their right to privacy.
But Mr Abbott says he's "disinclined" to single out particular crimes for public registers.
"We don't have a national murders register. We don't have a national thieves register. We don't have a national white collar criminals register," he told reporters in Melbourne.
"The important thing is ... to have strong and effective law enforcement agencies, to have strong and effective laws."
Daniel's Law is based on a similar legislation in the United States, but unlike the American laws will not give the exact address of an offender.
Instead, a publicly accessible website would include an image, physical description and regional whereabouts of offenders in the Territory.
