Australian child abuse classification system to categorise child exploitation material

In 2022, Western Australia Police commenced using the Australian Child Abuse Classification System to categorise Child Exploitation Material (CEM). In addition to changing the system of classification, WA Police also adopted a policy whereby the quantity of CEM that would be manually analysed per device was limited. There are clearly implications for the prosecution and sentencing of these types of matters.  

Dr Jane Tudor-Owen will chair this lively panel.  Jane is a State Prosecutor at the Office of the Director or Public Prosecutions (WA). Prior to commencing at the Office in 2021, they taught across the disciplines of criminology, law, and social work at Edith Cowan University in various capacities between 2012 - 2021, completing their PhD on police interviewing in 2016. Since commencing at the ODPP, they have appeared as counsel for the State at hearings in the Magistrates Court, District Court, and most recently, the Children’s Court.  

In this session, Gemma Beggs (Senior State Prosecutor, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions) will discuss the way in which the ODPP approaches prosecutions under the new system and Tony Hager (Barrister, Geoffrey Miller Chambers) will discuss the implications for an accused person both in defending a charge and in sentencing. Dr James McCue (Clinical and Forensic Psychologist, Helen Fowler and Associates) will explore some of issues that arise in conducting psychological assessments and preparing associated reports in light of the limited samples that are now provided, and his Honour Judge Craig Astill, will explore ramifications for the sentencing of offences relating to CEM. 

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