Mr BELL - 1995-05-17
I point out to the Attorney-General that the opposition deplores any system which allows criminals to walk the streets. Yesterday, the Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services flagged his support for the abolition of the jury system. Can the Attorney-General assure Territorians that he has no plans to turn the clock back 50 years by abolishing the right of all Territorians accused of serious offences to a trial by jury?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the presumption by the honourable member that the Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services had suggested the elimination of juries is quite incorrect.
Mr Ede: What!
Page 546
Members interjecting.
Mr FINCH: However, of course ...
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr Ede: It is no good telling lies. Look at the NT News this morning. It refers ...
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr Bell interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr Manzie: You mob are protecting guilty people all the time.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr FINCH: Mr Speaker, instead of asking what the Minister for Police was pursuing in relation to this matter, the member for MacDonnell might question his leader's intentions. What an absolutely beautiful piece of political footage that was! The Leader of the Opposition sees absolutely no role at all in responding to some pretty serious concerns in the community about this decision.
Mr Ede: Too right! I am not going to abolish the jury system.
Mr FINCH: Let me say right at the start that neither are we.
Mr Ede: Okay. Thank you very much.
Mr FINCH: However, I can tell the honourable member what we are doing. I can understand the annoyance in the community, as reflected through the Minister for Police in this case, but what we are doing, quite clearly and quite carefully, is going through the process of seeking advice from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution as to what this all meant, how it happened and how we got to this point. Just as pertinent would be seeking advice, along the way, from the Department of Law as to whether there are any matters of procedure, policy or law that ought to be reviewed. I believe that is a quite reasonable approach. However, in the meantime, on the surface of this case at least, one would have to share the concern of the community that a person, who has made quite extensive confessions as to how he got into this situation in the first place and how he finished it with what was a pretty horrible finale ...
Mr Ede: Why wasn't he charged with that?
Mr FINCH: He was charged with murder and robbery.
Mr Ede: He was not charged over what he did with the body. You are the Attorney-General.
Page 547
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr FINCH: As the shadow Attorney-General, you ought to be aware at least of the normal practices. It is not the normal practice, when prosecuting a murder charge, to present also 15 lesser charges to pick up every little sub-event along the way. That would only confuse the case. The prosecution proceeded on the basis of murder.
Mr Coulter: What were you going to get him on, a littering charge or something?
Mr FINCH: Maybe that is the extent to which the shadow Attorney-General would go. In the long term, we will give him and others a briefing on what this case was all about. More pertinently, if anything needs to be done by way of a change to the system or the law or whatever, we will also be advising ...
Mr Ede: Your system!
Mr FINCH: However, the juries stay.
Page 548
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the presumption by the honourable member that the Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services had suggested the elimination of juries is quite incorrect.
Mr Ede: What!
Page 546
Members interjecting.
Mr FINCH: However, of course ...
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr Ede: It is no good telling lies. Look at the NT News this morning. It refers ...
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr Bell interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr Manzie: You mob are protecting guilty people all the time.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr FINCH: Mr Speaker, instead of asking what the Minister for Police was pursuing in relation to this matter, the member for MacDonnell might question his leader's intentions. What an absolutely beautiful piece of political footage that was! The Leader of the Opposition sees absolutely no role at all in responding to some pretty serious concerns in the community about this decision.
Mr Ede: Too right! I am not going to abolish the jury system.
Mr FINCH: Let me say right at the start that neither are we.
Mr Ede: Okay. Thank you very much.
Mr FINCH: However, I can tell the honourable member what we are doing. I can understand the annoyance in the community, as reflected through the Minister for Police in this case, but what we are doing, quite clearly and quite carefully, is going through the process of seeking advice from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution as to what this all meant, how it happened and how we got to this point. Just as pertinent would be seeking advice, along the way, from the Department of Law as to whether there are any matters of procedure, policy or law that ought to be reviewed. I believe that is a quite reasonable approach. However, in the meantime, on the surface of this case at least, one would have to share the concern of the community that a person, who has made quite extensive confessions as to how he got into this situation in the first place and how he finished it with what was a pretty horrible finale ...
Mr Ede: Why wasn't he charged with that?
Mr FINCH: He was charged with murder and robbery.
Mr Ede: He was not charged over what he did with the body. You are the Attorney-General.
Page 547
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr FINCH: As the shadow Attorney-General, you ought to be aware at least of the normal practices. It is not the normal practice, when prosecuting a murder charge, to present also 15 lesser charges to pick up every little sub-event along the way. That would only confuse the case. The prosecution proceeded on the basis of murder.
Mr Coulter: What were you going to get him on, a littering charge or something?
Mr FINCH: Maybe that is the extent to which the shadow Attorney-General would go. In the long term, we will give him and others a briefing on what this case was all about. More pertinently, if anything needs to be done by way of a change to the system or the law or whatever, we will also be advising ...
Mr Ede: Your system!
Mr FINCH: However, the juries stay.
Page 548
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016