Loopholes in South Australian child-sex laws, which resulted in some offenders getting lighter sentences, have been slammed shut.
State parliament has passed changes to prevent people convicted of possessing either child pornography or child-like sex dolls from getting more lenient treatment than those guilty of other child-sex crimes.
Under the new laws, the possession of either child pornography or child-like sex dolls will be classified as serious indictable offences for the purpose of sentencing discounts, as opposed to just indictable offences.
Courts will also need to take into account the harm caused to children in the broader community through the fuelling of demand for child sexual abuse when considering a bail application in such cases.
Attorney-General Kyam Maher said the way the laws were previously structured could have led to a perception that the government and broader society viewed the crimes of possessing child pornography or child-like sex dolls as somehow being less serious.
"Nothing could be further from the truth," he said.
"The fact is that the possession of child pornography fosters an environment that condones the abuse of some of our most vulnerable."
