The State Government will introduce legislation to tighten reporting requirements for child sex offenders in South Australia.

As part of the moves, to be introduced to State Parliament tomorrow, SA Police will be allowed to electronically monitor high risk offenders, including using GPS tracking devices.

Attorney-General John Rau said today that the legislative changes were in response to the recommendations of the inquiry into the education system by former Supreme Court Justice Bruce Debelle, released this week.

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Debelle’s report, which highlighted numerous departmental failures in the aftermath of the abuse of a young girl by a worker at a western suburbs school, recommended tightening the Child Sex Offenders Registration Act and the Summary Offences Act.

Rau said the Government accepted Debelle’s view that reporting requirements for child sex offenders needed to be strengthened.

“Under these changes, all registered child sex offenders will be subjected to increased reporting requirements and high risk offenders may be targeted for more stringent monitoring by the Police Commissioner.

“The proposed changes will also allow the DNA profiling of offenders who were placed on the child sex offender register prior to forensic profiling being first utilised.

“We have been working on these changes for some time and upon receiving Justice Debelle’s report, we have been able to finalise the required legislation.”

The changes, which Rau says will target the highest risk offenders, will also:

• Ban offenders from working in the taxi or hire car industry
• Introduce a mandatory bail condition for any person charged with a child sex offence preventing them from engaging in “child-related work”
• Prevent any offender from changing his or her name without first obtaining the permission of the Commissioner of Police.