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That sound you’re hearing from across the Tasman is the sound of thousands of high school librarians frantically tearing books from shelves and hundreds of education bureaucrats feverishly rewriting high school English curricula. Suddenly, the books they’ve been boring the pants off students with for decades are decidedly libri non grati. Because the author’s been busted for paedophilia.
As I reported recently, ‘beloved’ (of middle-aged feminist teachers and librarians, maybe) author Craig Silvey has (allegedly!) been a very naughty boy indeed. Silvey was busted in January for possessing child exploitation material. Even then, there was good grounds for suspecting much worse, given that he declined to allow detectives to gain access to his mobile, desktop and other devices and a court order was being sought to ensure compliance. Presumably they got it, because now (police allege!) he indeed had much worse to hide.
Detectives now allege acclaimed children’s author Craig Silvey was not only in possession of child exploitation material and distributing it but that he was also producing it.
The Jasper Jones author has been charged with additional child exploitation offences as part of what West Australian Police’s Child Exploitation Operations describe as an ongoing investigation into Mr Silvey’s “online activities”.
That ongoing investigation involves the analysis of devices seized, according to a statement issued by WA Police on Monday.
What they mean by ‘producing’ isn’t clear. But a second person has been charged in connection with the offences.
WA Police also said that, as part of the investigation, “forensic analysis is being conducted on all electronic devices seized”.
WA Police alleged that during this analysis a 68-year-old woman was identified as “allegedly producing and distributing child exploitation material online” with Mr Silvey.
That 68-year-old woman from the Perth suburb of Marangaroo was arrested on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, and has been charged with offences including two counts of producing child exploitation material and one count of distributing child exploitation material. The woman is in custody after allegedly failing to comply with her bail conditions […]
”I have spoken to the investigating officer in relation to the new charges it relates to written material,” Mr Silvey’s lawyer told the court.
It doesn’t bear thinking about.
In the written statement on Monday, WA Police said child exploitation offences caused profound and lasting harm to victims.
“Child sexual abuse is not a victimless crime,” WA Police said.
“Every image or video represents a real child who has been abused, and the trauma inflicted can endure for a lifetime.
“Detectives work tirelessly to identify victims and hold offenders to account, and investigations often uncover new evidence as digital analysis progresses. As a result, additional charges can be laid as further material is examined and new information is confirmed.”
That has to be one of the toughest jobs in the world.
Still, no doubt bored-stiff high school boys across Australia are relieved at not having to endure his books any more. Like most boys their age, my sons had to endure reading Jasper Jones in high school English. Like the Netflix series Adolescence, it’s the typical sort of woke garbage tilty-headed school feminists love to inflict on long-suffering boys. In this case at least, not any more.
Major Australian book store Dymocks and independent bookshop Readings both pulled all of his works from their websites after the revelations, while his books were listed as “out of stock” on the website of the nation’s biggest book retailer, QBD […]
Sydney performing arts group Belvoir St Theatre had been scheduled to host a stage adaptation of Mr Silvey’s Runt in September, but said it had now paused those plans […]
Mr Silvey’s works had long been staples on school reading lists and curriculums, but education departments across the country have moved to remove his books from lesson plans and school libraries.
That other sound your hearing is hundreds of thousands of high school boys cheering. Sadly, it took the author getting busted as a predator.
