SA child sex offenders register: reporting, review and public requests

Choose the process that matches your situation

The Child Sex Offenders Registration Act 2006 separates reporting obligations from public access and applications for relief. These routes have different purposes; one application does not do the work of another.

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Who must register, and how long does reporting last?

Sections 6–9 cover relevant sentences, court orders and corresponding interstate or overseas status. Exceptions include particular childhood cases and a qualified single-Class-2 category, but an exception cannot be inferred from an offence label alone. A court can make a registration order in specified circumstances if the statutory risk test is met.

Section 34 ordinarily sets eight years for a single Class 2 offence, fifteen years for a single Class 1 offence other than the specified section 50 offence or two Class 2 offences, and life for the specified section 50 offence or the stated multiple-offence combinations. The exact statutory classification and history matter; “more serious” is not a substitute for the legal test.

Offences from the same incident can be grouped under sections 4 and 34. Court-ordered and corresponding-jurisdiction periods have separate provisions. Sections 32–33 govern when reporting starts and periods that do not count. Do not simply add eight or fifteen years to a conviction date, or assume a suspension removes the record.

Keep the reporting notice, sentencing remarks, exact offence provisions, order and release dates. A lawyer can check the applicable category and exceptions against those documents. This guide does not classify an individual conviction or calculate a personal end date.

Compare the reporting duties before using a deadline

The Act and Regulations specify both what must be reported and how. The table highlights common duties; your notice, status, custody history and other statutory qualifications may alter the position. Ask police about the authorised reporting method and keep proof.

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Many reports must be made in person unless an approved alternative applies. Sections 22–24 cover method, privacy, assistance and a copy of the report. Keep the receipt or written confirmation. Do not assume a message to a lawyer, a website enquiry or an unapproved online submission satisfies a police-reporting duty.

Work restrictions and overseas travel need separate checks

Part 5 restricts applying for and engaging in child-related work. The definition is broader than teaching or childcare: it can include work involving child employees, specified taxi or hire services, volunteering and management. Section 65 has a five-year maximum and a statutory knowledge qualification. Do not assume unpaid work is exempt.

Under section 65A, a person arrested or reported for a Class 1 or Class 2 offence can be required by a personally served Commissioner notice to provide work information; failing to comply carries a maximum of $10,000 or two years’ imprisonment. Section 66 has disclosure duties connected with specified arrests or reports. Those duties do not mean that every charge automatically creates registration. Obtain advice before making an employment application or assuming an exemption applies.

Commonwealth Criminal Code section 271A.1 separately restricts an Australian citizen with the relevant registered status and reporting obligations from leaving Australia, subject to its competent-authority permission or suspended-obligation exceptions. The maximum is five years. A valid passport and a state travel report do not themselves authorise departure.

The Australian Passport Office advises seeking permission at least three months before intended travel and allowing substantial time for passport checks. That is planning guidance, not guaranteed approval or a substitute for a statutory deadline. Check individual orders and destination-country requirements before committing to travel.

Correction, exemption and suspension are different remedies

Identify the precise problem and the decision-maker before applying. The following are selected routes, not a complete appeal or exemption guide. A pending request does not itself suspend a reporting duty, work restriction or control order.

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1. For ordinary section 66B relief, the Act limits eligible offence provisions and requires at least twelve months’ compliant registration, a no-risk finding and the absence of specified exclusions. Those conditions do not apply identically to the separate child-employee-only work exception in section 66B(5a).
2. Section 66C concerns a disability that makes compliance impossible, together with the statutory risk test. Difficulty or inconvenience alone is not the test. Get advice on the appropriate evidence and any assessment expense.
3. Ask whether a stay or other interim order is needed, and continue following existing requirements unless legally changed. Suspension can cease in specified circumstances; it is not a guaranteed permanent removal.

The 2026 Fees Notice, pages 1225–1226 and SAPOL fee schedule confirm the $219 Part 5A fee. This is different from the currently free public-scheme requests described below. No automatic concession or waiver has been verified. Court, lawyer and evidence costs are separate.

How the limited public-register scheme works

South Australia’s public scheme began on 16 February 2026. The SAPOL guide and official portal describe wanted-offender information, a local search and a parent or guardian disclosure request. This is controlled access to selected information, not an unrestricted list of everyone registered.

Wanted information concerns specified non-compliance and unknown whereabouts. A local search concerns qualifying images in the applicant’s residential locality, subject to identity, eligibility and assessment. It does not provide every registrant’s name and address or a general search of a suburb you hope to move to.

For a section 66FB disclosure request, the specified person must be an adult. The applicant must be the child’s parent or guardian. The statutory contact test is physical contact or close physical proximity on at least three days, consecutive or otherwise, in any twelve months, with that person the only adult present. Three encounters on one day are not automatically three qualifying days.

The SAPOL FAQ describes supporting identity, address and relationship documents, such as a birth certificate or other official evidence, and says public applications currently have no fee. Processing times vary. Its shorthand about separate occasions should be read with the Act’s actual days test. A request does not guarantee disclosure or establish that a child is safe.

Do not republish or distribute information supplied under the scheme or use it to confront or harass anyone. Section 66J restricts public identification, with a specific written-Ministerial-approval exception. Section 66I distinguishes intentional public incitement of animosity or harassment, carrying up to ten years, from the separate likely-effect offence carrying up to two years.

For immediate danger call 000. For non-urgent police assistance call 131 444; Crime Stoppers is 1800 333 000. Use official reporting channels and do not approach a person you believe may be wanted.

What if a report is late, inaccurate or disputed?

Section 44 distinguishes ordinary failure to report without reasonable excuse, with a maximum of $10,000 or two years, from the reportable-child-contact category, with a maximum of $25,000 or five years. Notice, the applicable duty and statutory defences matter. These are maximum penalties, not a forecast sentence.

Section 45 concerns information that is knowingly false or misleading in a material particular, with the corresponding ordinary and child-contact penalty tiers. An innocent mistake is not automatically that offence. Keep records of what was submitted and promptly seek advice about correcting information and meeting current duties; a later correction does not guarantee immunity.

Separate control orders can impose additional restrictions. Knowingly or recklessly breaching such an order can carry five years under section 66JF, with the statutory service qualification where an order was made in a person’s absence. Read the actual order rather than assuming the ordinary reporting rules are the only obligations.

Documents to gather before asking for advice

1. Your reporting notice, exact offence provisions, sentencing orders and remarks, release dates, earlier registration history and any interstate or overseas notices.
2. A timeline of the event in question: changed details, contact, travel, reports made, receipts and police directions. Keep original messages and documents without editing their content.
3. For relief or a challenge: the decision, date made, date received, reasons request and response, earlier applications, relevant assessments and any current court orders.
4. For a public request: use SAPOL’s current instructions for identity, address, parent or guardian status and the relevant contact dates. Provide sensitive documents only through the appropriate official process.
5. Write down the immediate question, next deadline and practical help needed. Ask what the lawyer will review, whether an application or appearance is included, and the likely further costs.

Do not post identifying register information or confidential case documents in public comments. This checklist prepares an enquiry; it does not itself make a report, lodge an application, obtain permission or suspend an obligation.

Official help and free legal information

Police reporting assistance and independent legal advice serve different purposes. Ask about scope, eligibility and availability; requesting help does not itself change an obligation.

Common questions about the SA register

Related legal information