Trask LauraLAURA TRASK (ACT): Thank you. I rise today in support of the Child Protection (Child Sex Offender Government Agency Registration) (Overseas Travel Reporting) Amendment Bill on its second reading presented by Mr Greg O'Connor.This bill helps to address a critical issue that has been plaguing our society—child sex tourism and the exploitation and abuse of children is a huge issue. I agree with the member who has just resumed her seat Kahurangi Carter that this is not going to solve the bigger issues. However this is one of the critical steps and I was actually really surprised that this isn't already happening. It will provide Police Customs and specified agencies the ability to share details of a convicted child sex offender when travelling to other jurisdictions and this is really important.I also extend my appreciation to the past and present members of the Justice Committee for their work on this bill. I know that I'm not part of that committee and my fellow colleague Todd Stephenson was and I'm just stepping in tonight because we thought he wouldn't be in the House. But I want to acknowledge you guys and acknowledge the issues that were raised within the committee: the issues around the bill of human rights and the retrospectivity and also what info was shared about offenders.The impact of child abuse particularly in the form of sexual exploitation on young lives cannot be overstated. Children who are victims of such crimes often suffer long-lasting physical mental and sexual health repercussions. The trauma inflicted on these innocent souls can be so severe that it amounts to torture or other cruel inhuman or degrading treatment. It is alarming to note that child sex tourism is actually a significant component of the sex tourism industry in certain regions such as Thailand where hundreds of thousands of children are estimated to be working in the sex trade. This is a heinous crime that preys on the most vulnerable members of society and I cannot allow previous sex offenders in this country to travel to countries like this unknown to be doing harm to other children overseas. I think that is absolutely critical.Social attitudes that tolerate or ignore such crimes provide offenders especially travelling sex offenders with a sense of anonymity and impunity. It is heartening to see that efforts are being made in the private sector on global and regional and national levels to help address these challenges. We're seeing hotel chains coming up with management around identifying potential issues when it comes to this industry.This bill seeks to amend the Child Protection (Child Sex Offender Government Agency Registration) Act 2016 to require registered child sex offenders to provide additional information to the police before travelling overseas. This is a step in the right direction as it will enable law enforcement agencies to better protect children in countries the offenders travel to and help identify cases of sex tourism.As a party that stands firm against crime especially crimes against the most vulnerable we must support measures that restrict the freedom of those who seek to harm our children. However we must also acknowledge that this bill may not be a panacea. Some offenders may still choose to travel overseas for shorter periods to avoid detection. Therefore I urge the Government to consider extending these requirements to all registered sex offenders travelling overseas regardless of the duration of their visit. We must remain vigilant and proactive in our efforts to protect our children and ensure that perpetrators of such heinous crimes are brought to justice.I just want to highlight that the registered sex offenders are the ones that have been caught—the ones that we know to be perpetrators. It is the ones that walk around amongst us that we don't know about that must be our biggest focus. The World Health Organization reports that one in 13 men and one in five women are sexually abused globally. In New Zealand one in seven children are estimated to experience sexual abuse—one in seven children in New Zealand. That is alarming.So in conclusion I support this bill and I urge my colleagues across the House to do the same. I hope that—I mean the Greens are still here: I hope you guys reconsider because there are bigger issues. Don't get me wrong this is not a one-stop shop and it doesn't go far enough but there are other things that we can do and this is just a very small step and I think it's one of the levers we should use. Thank you.