Laws that protect the identities of accused rapists are set to be thrown out in Queensland today.
Under the current laws, anyone accused of rape or other sexual offences within the state are entitled to have their identity protected.
The new legislation is set to be introduced state-wide today which will see accused sexual offenders treated the same as all other accused offenders.
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The changes to legislation were brought forward by the Women’s and Safety Taskforce who believe the naming of accused sexual offenders may encourage others to contact authorities with evidence that could assist in investigations.
Removing the identity prohibition will impact all ongoing cases, even if the case was lodged prior to the new legislation.
Both an accused sexual offender and an alleged victim can apply for a non-publication order, but this would require the alleged victim’s wishes to be taken into account.
Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath said the state’s laws need to evolve alongside the bravery of sexual assault survivors.
“Queenslanders’ understanding of consent and the impact of sexual assault has evolved in large part because of the bravery of women and girls who have shared their lived experiences and it is only right that our laws evolve as well,” she said.
“The previous protections for accused rapists were based in part on the false assumption that women maliciously make up complaints to damage reputations.
“These rape myths have absolutely no place in our society and our laws need to reflect this.”
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