Australia’s toughest dangerous sexual offender legislation has successfully passed through both houses of State Parliament, fulfilling one of the WA Government’s key law and order election commitments.
The new laws seek to protect Western Australians from dangerous sexual offenders through a number of key changes to the Dangerous Sexual Offenders Act 2006 (WA) and the Bail Act 1982 (WA), including:
- A reversal of the onus of proof so that offenders bear the burden of satisfying the court, on a balance of probabilities, that they will substantially comply with the standard conditions placed on them when they are under supervision in the community;
- A presumption against bail for dangerous sexual offenders who are charged with breaching a supervision order; and
- A new section to provide for an interim supervision order.