Bill
Crimes Amendment (Prohibiting the Strip Searching of Children) Bill 2026
before parliament, as at 2026-08-18.
- Sponsor
- Lidia Thorpe
- Portfolio
- Not recorded
Recorded stages
- introduced — 2026-08-18
- second reading — 2026-08-18
Divisions
No divisions recorded. Most questions are decided on the voices; this does not establish that a bill was unopposed.
Plain-language summary
Written by a model from the explanatory memorandum; not the record, as at 2026-08-18.
The bill would make it illegal to strip search anyone under 18 in any part of Australia.
It would amend the Crimes Act 1914 to raise the minimum age for strip searches from 10 to 18 and add a new section banning the practice entirely, overriding any inconsistent state or territory laws.
The bill would start the day after it receives royal assent and applies only to conduct occurring on or after that date.
- Raises the minimum age for strip searches under the Crimes Act 1914 from 10 to 18.
- Adds a new section that prohibits strip searches on all people under 18, covering both partial and full searches.
- Makes the ban apply regardless of any other law, ending inconsistent state or territory laws.
Children under 18 and law enforcement or officials who conduct strip searches.
Sources
em
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