A New South Wales government taskforce is considering the use of anti-libido drugs to chemically castrate child sex offenders.

The taskforce includes representatives from the government, victims groups, police, and legal and health experts.

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They have been asked to review the use of anti-libidinal treatments in the NSW correctional system and whether they can be expanded.

They will also look at whether chemical castration could be a sentencing option for judges in the state’s courts.

Justice Minister Troy Grant said all options needed to be considered so children were protected from abuse.

“One of the worrying statistics that came out of our investigation is that up to 17 per cent of child sex offenders are likely to reoffend in two years,” he said.

“We must do everything possible to reduce that figure.”

The taskforce will report to the government by the end of the year.

Last year, former New South Wales MP Andrew Tink called for an anti-libido drug to be given to sex offenders, citing his own experience taking the medication as a cancer patient.

He said the anti-androgenic medication he was prescribed as part of his treatment for advanced prostate cancer totally suppressed his sex drive, amounting to chemical castration and guaranteeing impotence.