Apart from your mis spelling of the word paedophile, I have only one comment.

Why should these rock spiders live at all? I say put them down once they are convicted. There is no greater offence than abusing children, sexually or otherwise. Why? Because it ruins their entire lives, their families and frequently creates more of these dreadful.....well I can't call them humans, whatever they ares.

These creatures are cowards and sick. Hang 'em, publicly please. A reality show that would rate through the roof.

margaret

what a *good* article. would that anyone in government and the justice system could read it, and truly reflect upon it. far from 'only' (sic) a 'private interest', clearly you have/represent a public interest. the public interest in this case is far more than expressed in the decision: it does not lie alone with the department, etc. this notion of 'public interest' sees public interest as one-sided rather than multidimensional.

ironically, the department itself by its guidelines (whether honoured in the breach or not) recognises a public interest in what has been characterised as your private interest. that is, it acknowledges that an 'environmental investigation/survey' needs to be done. once it accepts this need, then it is accepting that there lies a public interest in ensuring that children (yours and any others) are not at risk through the placement of a person (in respect of whose living place such investigation/survey is done) in the vicinity of young children.

on freedom of information - in addition to what you have so clearly and succinctly said, freedom of information, like the role of the ombudsman and other regulation/checks of government action, has become more and more limited through privatisation.

in nsw, when junee prison was privatised, the ombudsman was refused entry on the basis that it was a private operation and hence not subject to the ombudman/ombudsman act. similarly with freedom of information - it no longer applies to so many activities, agencies, bodies etc to which it originally applied (however limited its application there), for these have been privatised and so taken out from under public scrutiny.

we never ever could rely upon liberal/coalition governments for the promotion and defence of human rights and civil liberties. sadly, now that labour governments have lost their way in respect (disrespect) of civil and human rights we have no or few to turn to, or to rely upon to promote them.

There are those who would argue that these people have served their sentences therefore should be given all the rights of the rest of the community.
But in doing so,will rob children of their rights to grow up safe and unmolested.
Far better to have somewhere isolated ,away from all families, where these unnatural ,mentally unsound people can live without being tempted and small people will not come in the vicinity of such predtors.
Either that or put them down.

Repeat child sex offenders should have the choice of either being castrated or remain in prison for life. Unfortunaetly with the ACT and other porn industries flourishing we are seeing more and more men and women fulfilling their sexual desire on children. Some of the porn industries best customers are the aboriginal communities where many girls are very fortunate to get to their teenage years without being abused. Still the selfish adults will still demand their rights to fulfil their lusts watch others have sex despite the consequences on children and society.

Many things I dislike immensly only I thing I absolutely hate, and that is the abuse of children in any way especially sexually, I speak from my own experience and the experience of a female friend. I don't believe in capital punishment why should these monsters get it so easy.

The survivors have to live their lives with the memory of these attacks, so should the perpertrator. A community of them should be established at Marilinga without cars or petrol and let them live their lives out knowing why they are there.

In some ways you should be grateful that you know about the past of the freak that lives beside you.
Our ultimate job as parents is to make sure our most precious posessions are never scarred by human waste such as this.
I know of one such creep that nobody would ever suspect, who lives as an innocent in freedom, a product of the sixties "What-goes-on-behind-a man's-closed-door" creed.
People I meet still talk about these atrocities to this day but nothing was ever done to stop or punish this animal.
He was my father and I was one of his victims.
Yes, I am 50 and I still hurt.
Be vigilant and never ever let history repeat.