2010-2011-2012-2013 

 

The Parliament of the 

Commonwealth of Australia 

 

THE SENATE 

 

 

 

 

Presented and read a first time 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Criminal Code Amendment 

(Misrepresentation of Age to a Minor) 

Bill 2013 

 

No.      , 2013 

 

(Senator Xenophon) 

 

 

 

A Bill for an Act to amend the Criminal Code Act 

1995 to protect minors by introducing offences 

about misrepresentation of age to minors online 

 

 

 

 

i       Criminal Code Amendment (Misrepresentation of Age to a Minor) Bill 2013       No.      , 

2013 

 

Contents 

1 

Short title ........................................................................................... 1

 

2 

Commencement ................................................................................. 1

 

3 

Object ................................................................................................. 2

 

4 

Schedule(s) ........................................................................................ 2

 

Schedule 1--Amendment of the Criminal Code Act 1995

 

3

 

Criminal Code Act 1995

 

3

 

 

 

 

Criminal Code Amendment (Misrepresentation of Age to a Minor) Bill 2013       No.      , 2013       

1 

 

A Bill for an Act to amend the Criminal Code Act 

1 

1995 to protect minors by introducing offences 

2 

about misrepresentation of age to minors online 

3 

The Parliament of Australia enacts: 

4 

1  Short title 

5 

 

  This Act may be cited as the Criminal Code Amendment 

6 

(Misrepresentation of Age to a Minor) Act 2013. 

7 

2  Commencement 

8 

 

  This Act commences on the day after it receives the Royal Assent. 

9 

Schedule 1  Amendment of the Criminal Code Act 1995 

   

 

 

2            Criminal Code Amendment (Misrepresentation of Age to a Minor) Bill 2013       No.      , 

2013 

 

3  Object 

1 

 

  The object of this Act is to make it a criminal offence for a person 

2 

over 18 years of age (the sender) to intentionally misrepresent their 

3 

age in online communications with a person they reasonably 

4 

believe to be under 18 years of age (the recipient): 

5 

(a)

 

for the purpose of encouraging the recipient to physically 

6 

meet with the sender (or any other person); or 

7 

(b)

 

with the intention of committing an offence. 

8 

4  Schedule(s) 

9 

 

  Each Act that is specified in a Schedule to this Act is amended or 

10 

repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule 

11 

concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this Act has effect 

12 

according to its terms. 

13 

 

 

14 

Amendment of the Criminal Code Act 1995  Schedule 1 

   

 

 

Criminal Code Amendment (Misrepresentation of Age to a Minor) Bill 2013       No.      , 2013            

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Schedule 1

--

Amendment of the Criminal Code 

1 

Act 1995 

2 

   

3 

Criminal Code Act 1995 

4 

1  The Schedule (at the end of Division 474 of the Criminal 

5 

Code) 

6 

Add: 

7 

474.40  Misrepresenting age to a person under 18 years of age 

8 

 

(1)  A person (the sender) commits an offence if: 

9 

 

(a)  the sender uses a carriage service to transmit a 

10 

communication to another person (the recipient); and 

11 

 

(b)  the sender does this with the intention of misrepresenting his 

12 

or her age; and 

13 

 

(c)  the sender does this for the purpose of encouraging the 

14 

recipient to physically meet with the sender (or any other 

15 

person); and 

16 

 

(d)  the recipient is someone who is, or who the sender believes 

17 

to be, under 18 years of age; and 

18 

 

(e)  the sender is at least 18 years of age. 

19 

Penalty:  Imprisonment for 5 years. 

20 

 

(2)  A person (the sender) commits an offence if: 

21 

 

(a)  the sender uses a carriage service to transmit a 

22 

communication to another person (the recipient); and 

23 

 

(b)  the sender does this with the intention of misrepresenting his 

24 

or her age; and 

25 

 

(c)  the sender does this with the intention of committing an 

26 

offence, other than an offence under this section; and 

27 

 

(d)  the recipient is someone who is, or who the sender believes 

28 

to be, under 18 years of age; and 

29 

 

(e)  the sender is at least 18 years of age. 

30 

Penalty:  Imprisonment for 8 years. 

31 

Schedule 1  Amendment of the Criminal Code Act 1995 

   

 

 

4            Criminal Code Amendment (Misrepresentation of Age to a Minor) Bill 2013       No.      , 

2013 

 

474.41  Provisions relating to offences against section 474.40 

1 

Age-related issues 

2 

 

(1)  For the purposes of an offence against section 474.40, absolute 

3 

liability applies to the physical element of the circumstance of the 

4 

offence that the recipient is someone who is under 18 years of age. 

5 

Note 1: 

For absolute liability, see section 6.2. 

6 

Note 2: 

For a defence based on belief about age, see section 474.42. 

7 

 

(2)  For the purposes of section 474.40, evidence that the recipient was 

8 

represented to the sender as being under or of a particular age is, in 

9 

the absence of evidence to the contrary, proof that the sender 

10 

believed the recipient to be under or of that age. 

11 

 

(3)  In determining for the purposes of section 474.40 how old a person 

12 

is or was at a particular time, a jury or court may treat any of the 

13 

following as admissible evidence: 

14 

 

(a)  the person's appearance; 

15 

 

(b)  medical or other scientific opinion; 

16 

 

(c)  a document that is or appears to be an official or medical 

17 

record, whether created in Australia or in a country outside 

18 

Australia; 

19 

 

(d)  a document that is or appears to be a copy of such a record. 

20 

 

(4)  Subsection (3) does not make any other kind of evidence 

21 

inadmissible, and does not affect a prosecutor's duty to do all he or 

22 

she can to adduce the best possible evidence for determining the 

23 

question. 

24 

 

(5)  If, on a trial for an offence against section 474.40, evidence may be 

25 

treated as admissible because of subsection (3), the court must 

26 

warn the jury that it must be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt in 

27 

determining the question. 

28 

Fictitious recipient 

29 

 

(6)  For the purposes of section 474.40, it does not matter that the 

30 

recipient to whom the sender believes the sender is transmitting the 

31 

communication is a fictitious person represented to the sender as a 

32 

real person. 

33 

Amendment of the Criminal Code Act 1995  Schedule 1 

   

 

 

Criminal Code Amendment (Misrepresentation of Age to a Minor) Bill 2013       No.      , 2013            

5 

 

474.42  Defences to offences against section 474.40 

1 

 

(1)  It is a defence to a prosecution for an offence against 

2 

section 474.40 that the defendant believed at the time the 

3 

communication was transmitted that the recipient was not under 18 

4 

years of age. 

5 

Note: 

A defendant bears an evidential burden in relation to the matter in this 

6 

section, see subsection 13.3(3). 

7 

 

(2)  In determining whether the defendant had the belief referred to in 

8 

subsection (1), the jury may take into account whether the alleged 

9 

belief was reasonable in the circumstances. 

10 

 

(3)  A person is not criminally responsible for an offence against 

11 

section 474.40 if: 

12 

 

(a)  the person is, at the time of the offence, a law enforcement 

13 

officer, or an intelligence or security officer, acting in the 

14 

course of his or her duties; and 

15 

 

(b)  the conduct of the person is reasonable in the circumstances 

16 

for the purpose of performing that duty. 

17 

Note: 

A defendant bears an evidential burden in relation to the matter in this 

18 

subsection, see subsection 13.3(3). 

19