Queensland Child Safety Site Gets 290K Visits in 3 Months

Parents across Queensland are taking child safety into their own hands, with nearly 300,000 visits to a groundbreaking public registry in just three months.

Daniel's Law launched on December 31, 2025, creating Queensland's first public child sex offender register. The website lists offenders who've failed to meet reporting requirements or whose locations are unknown.

The numbers tell a powerful story. Since launch, parents and guardians have submitted 38,800 applications to check photos of registered offenders living in their neighborhoods. These searches have identified 10 registered offenders who had unreported contact with children, leading to three arrests for alleged reporting violations.

The site offers a straightforward tool for concerned parents. Caregivers can apply online to confirm whether someone with unsupervised access to their child appears on the registry. The response has been overwhelming, according to local officials.

The website honors Daniel Morcombe, a 13-year-old abducted and murdered by a convicted sex offender in 2003. His tragic story became a catalyst for stronger child protection measures across Australia.

Dallas Hanlon knows this pain personally. His granddaughter Trinity Bates was eight years old when she was taken from her Bundaberg bedroom in February 2010. Police found her body the next morning.

"I think it's the greatest thing ever," Hanlon said of the registry. "To protect all our children, and to honor our children that we've lost, because these laws weren't in place."

The Ripple Effect

The registry's impact extends beyond individual searches. Member for Burnett Stephen Bennett says the high traffic shows how seriously communities take child safety. "This legislation has driven some amazing results out of tragedy," he noted.

Initial fears about vigilantism haven't materialized. "We haven't had that in our community," Bennett said. "People are more mature, they're more sophisticated than that."

Instead, the tool has empowered parents with information while respecting legal processes. The application system creates accountability while giving families peace of mind about who interacts with their children.

For Hanlon, the registry represents hope born from heartbreak. "Trinity was a beautiful light that will always, always be in our hearts," he said. "We need to remember my girl."

Nearly 300,000 visits in three months suggest Queensland families are doing exactly that, turning tragedy into meaningful protection for the next generation.