Priests who fail to report the confessions of child abusers to the authorities will be breaking the law under new legislation to be introduced in Queensland.
The state's teachers, doctors, nurses, childcare workers and school principals already have to report crimes against children to authorities.
New laws affecting religious clerics will make it an offence to fail to report abuse and make it clear the sanctity of the confessional cannot be used as an excuse, defence or privilege.
The proposed change is in line with a recommendation stemming from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and follows similar moves by other states.
The new Queensland law will also include a failure to protect offence.
To date, Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath says, perpetrators have been moved between schools and sites operated by an institution despite it being known that the person was a risk to children.
But the state government won't stop there.
It will also make changes to the Evidence Act to allow more juries to hear evidence of the previous crimes of accused criminals.
It will also stop child sex offenders from using their community standing to lessen their sentence, when their social standing was also a factor in their crimes.
Predators will face criminal punishment for grooming not only child victims, but the families of would-be victims too, and individuals found in possession of child sex dolls will face 14 years behind bars.
Ms D'ath cited federal Department of Home Affairs figures showing 133 child sex dolls were imported into Australia between July 2013 and June last year.
They are designed to look like pubescent or pre-pubescent children, and some have been seized in Queensland.
Anyone found to be involved in their commercial production or supply will also face up to 20 years in prison.
Australian Associated Press
