What does it mean to be a reportable offender in Queensland?

Trying to contact the registry or CPOR?

We are a private criminal defence firm (not the Queensland Police Service and not the registry), and we cannot take reports, update reporting details, or process register access applications. To save you a call:

• Reportable offenders: contact the Child Protection Offender Registry (CPOR) on 1300 552 931 (Monday–Friday, 8am–4pm) or report online via the QPS portal.
• Public register access (Daniel’s Law): applications are made through the Queensland Police Service, not through any law firm.

If you want confidential legal advice (about your reporting obligations, a failure-to-report allegation, or how the register affects you), that is exactly what we do: get in touch.

Overview

Under the Child Protection (Offender Reporting and Offender Prohibition Order) Act 2004 (the Act) anyone convicted of a “reportable offence” must report their details to the Queensland Government (through the police) for a set period of time, or indefinitely.

This includes anyone convicted of a sexual offence committed against a child, as well people convicted of child exploitation material (CEM) and child abuse material offences. Those details are kept in a register (the Australian National Child Offender Registry, ANCOR). The register itself remains restricted to law enforcement, but since 31 December 2025, “Daniel’s Law” has allowed the public disclosure of some reportable offenders’ details through a three-tier scheme (see below). It is no longer accurate to say the register is entirely non-public.

If reporting obligations affect you or someone in your family, you can speak to us confidentially about what they mean for your situation, day or night, without judgement.

Who does it apply to?

The Act applies to “reportable offenders”, which means anyone who is sentenced for a “reportable offence” (see below), as well as anyone a court declares should be considered a reportable offender. The definition extends to include people who move to Australia after being reportable offenders in another country and prisoners previously subjected to the Dangerous Prisoner (Sexual Offenders) Act (DPSOA).

It does not apply where there is no conviction recorded for the offence by the sentencing Judge or Magistrate, or, alternatively, where a single reportable offence is sentenced without either a term of imprisonment or an order requiring supervision (i.e. a fine only). It also doesn’t apply to offenders who had committed certain offences when they were children, such as possessing or publishing CEM.

Can you avoid becoming a reportable offender by avoiding a recorded conviction?

Yes, in the circumstances set out above, and this is why the recording decision at sentencing matters so much in these cases. Under s 5(2) of the Act, a person is not a reportable offender only because of a reportable (“prescribed”) offence if either:

• the conviction for that offence was not recorded, under s 12 of the Penalties and Sentences Act 1992 (or the equivalent youth justice provision); or
• it was a single reportable offence and the sentence included neither a term of imprisonment nor a requirement to be under the supervision of a supervising authority or another person or body (for example, a fine or a good behaviour bond with no supervision component).

Here, “single offence” is a defined term. Under s 11 of the Act, one or more offences committed against the same person within a single 24-hour period are counted together as one offence, so facing more than one charge arising from a single incident doesn’t automatically defeat the exception. But genuinely separate reportable offences, on different occasions or against different people, are not a single offence, and the exception then doesn’t apply even if no imprisonment or supervision was ordered. Because whether a set of charges counts as one offence turns on those facts (who the complainant was, and the timing), it’s worth getting advice on how it applies to your own matter.

The first exception is different. Not recording a conviction carries no single-offence limit, so it can still apply where someone is sentenced together for several reportable offences committed on different dates (for example, possession and distribution of CEM charged as a group), as long as no conviction is recorded on any of them. That is a high bar for offences of this kind, but it, and not the single-offence rule, is the realistic path where there is more than one charge.

Whether a court records a conviction at all is a separate decision under s 12 of the Penalties and Sentences Act, and the court must weigh the nature of the offence, your character and age, and the impact recording a conviction will have on your economic or social wellbeing and employment prospects. We cover that test, and how it plays out in practice, in our no conviction recorded article and, specifically for CEM cases, in exceptional circumstances and recorded convictions. Because this decision can determine whether you spend years, or the rest of your life, reporting to police, it’s one of the most important things to get the right advice on before sentencing, not after.

What is a reportable offence?

The most common reportable offences are listed below:

• section 210 (Indecent treatment of children under 16)
• section 215 (Carnal knowledge with or of children under 16)
• section 218A (Using internet etc. to procure children under 16)
• section 218B (Grooming child under 16 years or parent or carer of child under 16 years)
• sections 228B, 228C and 228D (Making, distributing and possessing child exploitation material)
• section 228J (Possessing child abuse object) and the Commonwealth offence under section 273A.1 (possession of child-like sex dolls etc.)
• section 229B (Maintaining a sexual relationship with a child)
• Commonwealth child abuse material offences (e.g. sections 273.6 and 471.19)
• section 222 (Incest) committed against a child
• section 349 (Rape) committed against a child
• section 352 (Sexual assaults) committed against a child
• bringing child abuse material into the country under section 233BAB of the Customs Act.

For the full list of reportable offences,have a look at schedule 1 to the Act here.

How long do reportable offenders have to report for in Queensland?

Most reportable offenders sentenced for a single offence committed on or after 1 October 2023 report for 10 years; it rises to 20 years or life for repeat reportable offending, and it’s roughly halved for offences committed as a child. The exact length depends on the offence(s) a conviction was recorded for, and on when the offence was committed: the reporting periods were doubled by amendments that commenced on 1 October 2023, and the longer periods apply to offences committed on or after that date (as at 31 July 2026, ss 36–39B of the Act):

• 10 years for a single offence (or multiple offences dealt with together) committed on or after 1 October 2023
• 20 years for someone who commits one more reportable offence after previously being given notice of their reporting obligations
• Forever for someone convicted of more than one new reportable offence committed after being given notice, or anyone who has ever been subject to a DPSOA order
• For offences committed before 1 October 2023, the old periods are preserved: 5 years for a first offence and 10 years for a further single offence.

The clock starts running immediately after the sentence is imposed for those not sent to jail, otherwise it begins after being released from jail. The 20 year and indefinite reporting periods apply even if the new offence or offences happen after their previous reporting period has ended. For people convicted of offences that happened when they were a child, the reporting periods are reduced: 2.5 or 5 years for the preserved pre-October-2023 periods, 4 years where the 10-year period would otherwise apply, and 7.5 years where either the 20-year or the “life” reporting requirement would otherwise apply (s 39A).

The only case where the reporting period might be longer than the usual 5 or 10 year period is where a period of parole is longer than the reporting period; in that case, the reporting obligations are automatically extended until the end of their parole. In addition, reporting periods are suspended if a person is sent to jail for a later offence, with any time spent in jail during the reporting period being added on at the end.

For anyone who has to report for the rest of their life, an application can be made to the Supreme Court for the obligations to be suspended (after 15 years if the lifetime obligation applied before 1 October 2023, or after 25 years otherwise), provided they are not on parole. The court must be satisfied the person does not pose a risk to the safety of children. The police commissioner also has power to suspend reporting of their own initiative, or after receiving an application, if they are satisfied the person does not pose a risk to children, or if the person has a significant physical or mental impairment or illness that means they shouldn’t have to report.

What details have to be reported?

Part 4 of the Act sets out the requirements for reporting to police. After becoming a reportable offender, an initial report usually has to be made within 7 days after being given a notice by police, or within 7 days of being released from prison. The initial report has to be made in person, and is usually recorded by police for evidentiary purposes. Police will give the offender a written Notice of Reporting Obligations and explain the consequences of failing to comply with them.

After the initial report, reports can be made in person at a police station, by phone, or online. When making a report online, it is extremely important to ensure that the report is submitted properly and a receipt is provided and saved. Our advice is to always over-report, because under-reporting can have serious consequences.

Details that have to be reported to police are set out in Schedule 2 of the Act, and include basic details such as name, date of birth, and address, as well as more specific information including:

• details of tattoos or permanent distinguishing marks (and notifying police if they have been removed or modified)
• details of regular contact that occurs with children (including their full name, date of birth, and contact details)
• employment details
• details of memberships with any club that has child members or participants, or which supports a club of that type
• details of vehicles owned or usually driven
• details relating to internet accounts and telephone connections
• usernames and passwords for social networking sites, instant chat messaging services and chat rooms
• all email addresses and passwords
• passport details
• reasons for regular travel (if at least once a month) outside Queensland but within Australia.

Police have the power to take fingerprints and photographs during this report, as well as DNA at any time. After the initial report, a periodic report must be made (each February, May, August and November, or more frequently if directed) provided there are no changes to the personal details previously reported. This doesn’t apply to anyone who has left Queensland and doesn’t intend to return, provided they have previously advised police.

Reporting changes to details

If details change, then reports must be made within 24 hours if it relates to “reportable” contact with a child, and otherwise within 7 days for most other details.

Reportable contact with a child is defined as physical contact, or some form of communication with a child either orally or in writing. It also includes supervising or caring for a child, exchanging contact details with a child, and trying to befriend a child (like a neighbour’s children). It doesn’t include incidental contact, unless that incidental contact was for the purpose of befriending the child, or it occurs with such regularity that the child would become familiar with, or develop a level of trust for, the person.

Changes that usually need to be reported include things like starting a new job, moving house, setting up a new email, changing phone numbers, buying or selling a car, or getting a new tattoo.

Babysitting a family member’s children for a night would also be reportable. Planned travel for more than 48 hours outside Queensland must also be reported 7 days before departure, or at least 24 hours before leaving if that’s not practical. The entire list of details that must be reported are set out in Part 4 of the Act and included on the Notice of Reporting Obligations.

Breaching reporting requirements

The big one that catches many people out is failing to report changes to details in time (or at all), or providing misleading details. These are specific offences under sections 50 and 51 of the Act which have maximum penalties of 300 penalty units ($51,810 as at 1 July 2026, when a penalty unit is $172.70) or 5 years in jail.

To defend a charge of failing to report details, you must be able to show you had a reasonable excuse. This excuse can take into account things like age, mental capacity and whether the notice given was sufficient to explain the reporting requirements (or had in fact been given at all), as well as other matters that are relevant.

Where false or misleading details are supplied, unless they are noted to likely be misleading or incorrect (with evidence to explain the situation), then you would likewise be convicted for that offence. Once charged, these offences can either be dealt with in the Magistrates Court, or in the District Court, at the prosecution’s election.

And the problem is that, for most people, this triggers two things: being sentenced for that offence, as well as being brought back before the District Court to face being re-sentenced for the original offence/s because a suspended sentence or recognizance release order has been breached. And if the breach was committed on parole, then that can trigger automatic suspension of parole and a return directly to prison.

Police investigation powers

When investigating whether an offence has been committed, the police have powers to request access to phones, tablets and computers (such as by requesting PIN codes, usernames and passwords) and examine them to see if an offence has been committed against the Act, or if there is evidence of another reportable offence being committed, including by making a copy of the contents.

Failing to comply with this requirement is also an offence, with the same maximum penalty as failing to provide details or providing misleading details. It is not a reasonable excuse to refuse access on the basis that the evidence likely to be obtained is incriminating or that it would open that person up to punishment. However, if there is no application by police for a post-search approval, then the search by police is not authorised and no offence has been committed.

In addition, for reportable offenders sentenced within the previous 3 months, or if they have been convicted of an internet-based offence (including procuring children over the internet or using a carriage service for child abuse material), Police also have powers under the Police Powers and Responsibilities Act (PPRA) to enter that person’s home to verify details at any time, as well as the power to inspect a digital device up to 4 times a year without a warrant, separately to the above power of inspection (with certain conditions; see s21B PPRA).

In either scenario, even if access is refused and the person is charged, a Magistrate can order that access be given anyway, in addition to any penalty imposed for the offence.

What is an offender prohibition order?

An offender prohibition order is a court order that restricts what a person can do, rather than simply requiring them to tell police about their life. It is the difference between the reporting scheme, which collects information, and an order that can keep someone away from schools, off particular parts of the internet, or out of a particular job.

Only the Police Commissioner can apply for one. A victim, a school, an employer or a concerned parent cannot: they can report concerns to police, who then decide whether to make an application. The application goes to a Magistrates Court, or for a respondent who is a child, to the Childrens Court constituted by a Childrens Court magistrate (s 13A and schedule 5 of the Act, as at 31 July 2026).

That is the case no matter which court dealt with the original offence. An application about someone who was sentenced on indictment in the District or Supreme Court is still brought in the Magistrates Court. The District Court’s role comes later, on appeal (s 13ZG), and the Supreme Court has no part in these orders at all; its role under this Act is the separate suspension pathway for lifetime reporters described above.

Police must first believe on reasonable grounds that the person is a “relevant sexual offender” and has engaged in “concerning conduct”. Concerning conduct does not have to be a criminal offence, and it can be a single act. The examples given in the Act itself are instructive: loitering at or near a park with playground equipment regularly used by children, living near a school, living in a household with children under 16, and seeking employment or volunteer work that will involve contact with children.

The court may then make the order if satisfied, on the balance of probabilities rather than the criminal standard, that the person poses an unacceptable risk to the safety or wellbeing of children and that the order will reduce that risk (s 13C). The court does not have to identify a risk to any particular child, and the application can be decided in the person’s absence if they were served. An adult respondent can consent, in which case the court can make the order without being satisfied of that test at all, unless it would not be in the interests of justice; whether the person had legal advice is one of the things the court weighs. That is a good reason to get advice before agreeing to anything.

An order runs for 5 years for an adult and 2 years for a child (s 13G). Police can also apply to a magistrate for a temporary order without notice to the person, where it is necessary to prevent an immediate risk; a temporary order lasts 28 days unless extended (ss 13I and 13M). Breaching an order is a crime carrying a maximum of 300 penalty units or 5 years imprisonment (s 67FA), which is $51,810 as at 31 July 2026, the same maximum as breaching the reporting obligations themselves.

What can an offender prohibition order require or prohibit?

An order can do both, and the Act deals with the two in separate sections. It is the second category, the things a person can be made to do, that most people do not expect.

Under s 13F, an order may prohibit:

A prohibition can be absolute or on terms, and the court can exclude someone from a place even where they have a legal right to be there, while making provision for them to recover their belongings.

Under s 13FA, an order may also require the person to wear an electronic tracking device for a stated period, to live at a particular address, to submit to psychological treatment, or to comply with any other condition the court considers necessary to reduce the risk to children.

Either police or the respondent can apply to vary or revoke an order, although the respondent usually needs the court’s leave first (s 13Q). Appeals go to the District Court, or to a Childrens Court judge for a child respondent (s 13ZG).

Can an order be made after your reporting period ends?

Yes, and the Act is explicit about it rather than leaving it to inference.

An order can only be made against a “relevant sexual offender”, and that term is deliberately wider than “reportable offender”. Under s 8(d) of the Act, a person stops being a reportable offender at the end of all the reporting periods they are subject to. Schedule 5 then defines a relevant sexual offender to include not only a current reportable offender, but also “a person who would be a reportable offender if all the reporting periods for the person had not ended, as mentioned in section 8(d)”. The definition points back, by name, at the provision that takes people off the register.

The practical effect is that completing a 5, 10 or 20 year reporting period ends the obligation to report. It does not close off an application for a prohibition order, which turns on the risk a person presents now rather than on whether they are still reporting. The definition also picks up people whose sentence ended before this part of the Act commenced, and it excludes anyone already subject to a supervision order or interim supervision order under the Dangerous Prisoners (Sexual Offenders) Act 2003 or a forensic order, because those people are managed under separate regimes with their own conditions.

If police have applied for an order against you, or you have been served with a temporary order, get advice promptly. These applications are decided on the balance of probabilities, the conditions sought are often broader than what a court would ultimately impose, and the terms you agree to at the start will shape your life for the next 5 years.

Daniel’s Law: public disclosure since 31 December 2025

On 31 December 2025, the Community Protection and Public Child Sex Offender Register (Daniel’s Law) Act 2025 commenced, adding a public-disclosure scheme on top of the reporting regime. It operates in three tiers:

1. A public website (danielslaw.qld.gov.au) where the Police Commissioner can publish the details of reportable offenders who have failed to comply with their obligations and whose whereabouts are unknown;
2. Locality photo access: an application process for photos of certain high-risk reportable offenders (including lifetime and 20-year reporters) living in an applicant’s local area; and
3. Parent/guardian disclosure: a yes-or-no answer for a parent or guardian about whether a specific person with unsupervised access to their child is a reportable offender.

Misusing the scheme is itself criminal: intentionally intimidating or harassing an identified offender (or inciting others to) carries up to 10 years imprisonment, and unauthorised sharing of information from the scheme carries up to 3 years. We cover the scheme in detail in our article on Daniel’s Law, and the 2023 changes to reporting obligations here.

Other flow-on effects of being a reportable offender

Finally, for good measure, the Australian Passports Act allows the cancellation of (or refusal to grant) a passport for a registered offender. And even if your passport isn’t cancelled, or is in fact approved, section 271A.1 of the Criminal Code (Cth) prohibits overseas travel without the permission of a competent authority while a person is subject to reporting requirements, an offence carrying up to 5 years imprisonment. Permission can be sought for an exemption through the QPS Child Protection Offender Registry, or otherwise an application can be made for suspension as discussed above.

In closing, if you’ve been charged with a sexual offence or a CEM offence, it is extremely important to obtain advice early, both for the outcome itself and to try and avoid this reporting regime applying to you. And if you’ve been charged with breaching your reporting requirements, then it is equally important to contact us to ensure your future is not thrown away along with the key.

This article is general legal information, not advice about your situation.

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