Freeland: Children Must Be Safe from Predators at Home and on the Playing Field

Member of Parliament for St George Michael Freeland has called for stronger punishment for sexual offences against children, saying a recent case in which an older man received a three-year sentence left him “disgusted.”

Speaking in the House of Representatives during debate on the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2026, Freeland said he could not understand how an adult could sexually abuse a child within their own family or household. He backed the bill’s tougher penalties and said children must be protected regardless of whether the offender is a relative, caregiver or someone else they trust.

“From the time you see a schoolgirl, [she is] off limits,” Freeland told the House. He said adults also have a responsibility to establish a young person’s age and respect that boundary.

Freeland drew on his experience as a basketball coach to argue that sports programmes must be safe places for children. He said coaches working with young people should meet appropriate certification requirements and follow rules designed to protect them.

“When a parent brings their child to the court, it’s a safe space. It is supposed to be a safe space,” he said.

The MP also urged residents to report suspicious behaviour instead of dismissing it as someone else’s business. Protecting children, he said, requires neighbours and communities to look out for one another.

Freeland supported the bill’s harsher sentences and went further in expressing his personal support for castration as a punishment for offenders. He said severe consequences were needed to send a clear message to people who prey on children.

“We have to send a message,” he told Parliament. Freeland concluded by giving his support to the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill.