The Justice Committee is calling for submissions on the Crimes (Child Exploitation Offences) Amendment Bill.

The aim of the bill is to protect children at risk of harm from online exploitation committed by people 18 years and older. It would amend the Crimes Act 1961 to make it an offence for a person over 18 to use online communications to falsely represent their age or identity with the intention to meet with someone under 16. Someone convicted of this offence would be liable to a maximum term of 5 years’ imprisonment.

The bill would also make it an offence for someone over 18 to use online communications to plan to cause harm to a person under 16. If convicted of such an offence, a person would be liable to a maximum of 7 years’ imprisonment.

It would also increase the maximum penalty for persons convicted of sexual grooming of a young person from 7 years’ imprisonment to 10 years’ imprisonment.

Tell the Justice Committee what you think

Make a submission on the bill by midnight on Friday, 10 December 2021.

For more details about the bill:

· Read the full content of the bill

· Get more details about the bill

· What’s been said in Parliament about the bill?

· Follow the committee’s Facebook page for updates

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