Sussan Ley:

My question as to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, what a 5-year-old child is abused and their attacker is back on the streets before that child has even turned 8, but is not justice, it’s a betrayal. In the last year alone there were an average of 226 cases of child sexual exploitation, each and every day. This morning Labor voted to delay the Coalition push a crackdown on child offenders. Why did the Prime Minister instructors Labor government to vote against the protection of children?

That is quite the take.

Anthony Albanese:

Child sexual abuse is abhorrent and is totally unacceptable. All children deserve to grow up safely and free from abuse. I would have thought of bills issued but should be free from partisan shots, it is not. Order. For new members of the house, private member ‘s business is dealt with on Monday after it is introduced. Everyone knows that is the case. It is being the case since it was 1996, since I have been here. People know that is the case. The government is committed to protecting Australia’s children from harm and will always seek to engage the opposition…(there are interjections)

We give credit where credit is due. I give credit to Peter Dutton for the work that he did as Minister and establishing the Australian Centre to counter child exploitation in 2018. This was a critical initiative but by the vendor opposition and supported by the current government. That is the way we deal with these things. In 2020 the opposition then under my leadership, without shots across the chamber, supported then coalition government introducing mandatory sentences for the most serious of offences and repeat offenders. Those laws from the former government remain in place today. After about 9 years in office. My government will continue to enhance Australia’s response to child sexual abuse including through implementing the national strategy to prevent and respond to child sexual abuse within states and territories on reforming their working with children’s cards. I know the Shadow Attorney General has written with ideas for further reform and my government will always consider any sensible proposals for reform because as our record makes clear, we are always ready and willing to work constructively in the interests of child safety, something I think we can findone issue which we can connect and actually work together, I would have thought this was it.