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<\/p>\nBruce and Denise Morcombe have fought to have a pioneering law passed in Queensland.<\/p>\n
Bruce and Denise Morcombe lived through every parent\u2019s darkest fear when their 13-year-old son Daniel was brutally abducted and murdered at the hands of a paedophile 22 years ago.<\/p>\n
While most grieving families who have lost a child rightfully want to fall in a heap and hide away from the world, not so for these two brave souls who have dedicated the better part of two decades fighting for change around child safety.<\/p>\n
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Just days after Queensland Parliament passed Daniel\u2019s Law \u2013 a pioneering legislation that delivers the state\u2019s first public sex offender register \u2013 Bruce and Denise spoke exclusively to Woman\u2019s Day. They revealed their tireless campaigning through the Daniel Morcombe Foundation has been worth it, knowing this new law will support and protect future generations.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter all these years of advocacy, to see Daniel\u2019s enduring legacy actually become law in Queensland \u2013 it\u2019s hard to find the words, but we are absolutely over the moon,\u201d dad Bruce reveals.<\/p>\n
Modelled on the successful West Australian system, it includes a three-tiered disclosure scheme, empowering parents and carers to access information about any convicted child sex offenders
\nin their locale.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt essentially is Queensland\u2019s first public child sex offender register. Families previously had no clue if convicted paedophiles were living in their suburb or even on their street, so this is a game changer,\u201d Bruce explains.<\/p>\n
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FIGHTING COURAGE
\nAnd for mum Denise, just how proud would Daniel be of his trailblazing parents?<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had quite the cheeky sense of humour so he\u2019d probably be saying \u2018what are you doing mum and dad \u2013 why are you doing this?\u2019 But we know he\u2019d be very proud of us all that we had the courage to fight for him when he couldn\u2019t,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe day after the law was passed on October 30, it was Day for Daniel, which made this year all the more memorable \u2013 a moment to pause, reflect and keep the message alive. It\u2019s about awareness, starting conversations, and helping kids to learn to Recognise, React and Report unsafe situations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sadly, Daniel became a household name for all the wrong reasons. It was 2003, and the fun-loving teen set out on December 7 to catch the bus to his local Sunshine Coast shopping centre, where he planned to shop for Christmas presents and get a haircut. He never made it, and his disappearance would become the biggest murder investigation in Queensland\u2019s history, and the largest abduction case in Australia.<\/p>\n
In March 2014, his convicted killer, a known serial child rapist and paedophile, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 20 years.<\/p>\n
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PROTECTING FAMILIES
\nAnd while the memories from that fateful day will forever be etched in the Morcombe family\u2019s hearts \u2013 including Daniel\u2019s twin Bradley and older brother Dean \u2013 there is some comfort that Daniel\u2019s Law will help protect other families.<\/p>\n
Now in their 60s, Bruce and Denise, who were en route to Hobart to table Daniel\u2019s Law in The Parliament of Tasmania when Woman\u2019s Day caught up with them, are now determined their son\u2019s namesake law goes nationwide.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about keeping kids safe, not just in Queensland but right around the country. We won\u2019t stop until this law is passed across Australia \u2013 we owe it to our kids,\u201d a passionate Bruce explains.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe get stopped all over the country \u2013 adult survivors of child abuse who tell us their heartbreaking stories. Abuse does not discriminate \u2013 it can be from the \u2018well-heeled\u2019 to \u2018struggle street\u2019, and we need to wake up to that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bruce and Denise agree that while they are the frontline soldiers, there are plenty of workhorses behind the scenes who have supported them throughout their extraordinary journey.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was one moment in Parliament when the law was passed that we will never forget,\u201d Bruce recalls. \u201cWhile we were privileged to have our Premier David Crisafulli and the relevant ministers who, I might add, have all been amazing, what really made an impression on me was this small team of QPS [Queensland Police Service], all very impressive youngsters, who actually wrote the legislation.<\/p>\n
\u201cNext minute, Denise and I are getting our picture taken with them \u2013 many of them would be Daniel\u2019s age, so how incredible that they created our son\u2019s legacy,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
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ANOTHER BATTLE
\nBruce doesn\u2019t mince words \u2013 he and Denise have another battle firmly in their sights \u2013 the childcare sector.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we need a Royal Commission \u2013 we have a lot of work to do, and I think we are frightened to uncover what is really going on in these early learning centres,\u201d says Bruce. \u201cWe\u2019re only scratching the surface and I think there\u2019s an underbelly there and we need to clean it up. Some of these kids are under the age of two and can\u2019t talk, so we need to be their voices.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo we ever pinch ourselves and say job well done? We will never do that because that means we will always ask ourselves have we done enough. We will never stop the fight, and we will always be there to protect our children, who can\u2019t always protect themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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