There has been a recent push in Australia for paedophiles to be stripped of their superannuation and have the cash go towards helping the recovery of their victims.
Independent Senate candidate Nick Xenophon put forward the proposed plan in order to stop the abusers from being able to hide their assets or wealth in their retirement funds.
The plan was also endorsed by one man, Andy Martin who had been the victim of serial sex offender Peter Liddy as a child.
He told the ABC: “Some circumstances need amending, and this is one - if a perpetrator is allowed to hide his assets or put his assets into superannuation, and not allow victims to obtain their compensation or their entitlements, that's just not on.
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“What‘s a legal system if it’s not a justice system? This has to stop now.”
Peter Liddy was jailed for 25 years back in 2001 after his sexual abuse of young boys at an Adelaide surf life-saving club came to light.
Liddy served as a magistrate and is believed to have amassed a small fortune, including a collection of historical artefacts, according to the ABC.
Mr Xenophon believes that there was still a significant amount of money in Liddy’s super.
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In speaking to the ABC, he said: “Liddy is still incarcerated. Of course, he's a former magistrate, we imagine that he would potentially have significant superannuation left.
"If you've committed this type of abhorrent offence, you shouldn't be able to live in luxury after you get out of prison.
"That money ought to go to the victims."
Lawyer Andrew Carpenter also believes offenders in the past had taken steps to hide their money.
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He explained to the national broadcaster that he and other lawyers had seen criminals using their superannuation to bury their assets.
He said: “They'll sell their house, put money into their lawyer's trust account and then cry poor, yet they've worked for the past 40 years in a cushy job and they're saying, ‘I've got millions of dollars in super but you can't touch this.’”
Xenophon's proposed plan would actually save the government money, as taxpayers currently pay for the support and well-being of the victim’s recovery.
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Mr Carpenter said: “This is something that has cost the taxpayers billions of dollars over the years. It's about time that taxpayers stopped paying for the sins of paedophiles.
"If this law changes … not only will you lose your liberty, you'll stand to lose everything you work for and that's the real deterrent here."
The proposal had initially been put forward back in 2018, but Mr Xenophon believes more progress needs to be made.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Australia, Politics, Crime
