Mr KIELY - 2003-05-29
The Australian Bureau of Statistics 2002 Recorded Crime Statistics were released today. What does the Australian Bureau of Statistics tell us about crime in the Northern Territory, and about the CLP’s discredited mandatory sentencing regime?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, the ABS Recorded Crime Statistics released today tell a very simple story, and that is that mandatory sentencing did not work. The ABS figures show the number of victims of break-ins each year for a 10-year period. Those figures reveal that the number of victims of break-in offences in the Northern Territory rose steadily after the introduction of mandatory sentencing to reach an all-time high in 2001 of 6547 victims - the last year of the CLP’s mandatory sentencing regime. The figures also show the number of victims started to decline in 2002 once mandatory sentencing was replaced by our targeted property offence regime.
It is encouraging that the ABS figures show the Territory recorded the second-highest drop in break-in victim numbers in Australia in 2002, down by 15.2%, and only exceeded by Tasmania.
Dr Burns: Say it again, I did not hear it. Could you repeat it?
Dr TOYNE: I will say it again. The ABS figures show that the Territory recorded the second-highest drop in break-in victim numbers in Australia in 2002, down 15.2%, and only exceeded by Tasmania.
These figures show our law enforcement and crime prevention strategies are starting to produce results, although we still have a lot of work to do. The number of victims of break-ins and assaults in the Territory is still way too high, and we have already said that one victim is one too many. While we know that we cannot stop crime entirely, we are committed to continuing to work to reduce crime levels through effective law enforcement and targeted crime prevention strategies.
The message coming clearly from the release of the ABS statistics today is that mandatory sentencing was never the solution the CLP claimed. In fact, these figures are just another nail in the mandatory sentencing coffin.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, the ABS Recorded Crime Statistics released today tell a very simple story, and that is that mandatory sentencing did not work. The ABS figures show the number of victims of break-ins each year for a 10-year period. Those figures reveal that the number of victims of break-in offences in the Northern Territory rose steadily after the introduction of mandatory sentencing to reach an all-time high in 2001 of 6547 victims - the last year of the CLP’s mandatory sentencing regime. The figures also show the number of victims started to decline in 2002 once mandatory sentencing was replaced by our targeted property offence regime.
It is encouraging that the ABS figures show the Territory recorded the second-highest drop in break-in victim numbers in Australia in 2002, down by 15.2%, and only exceeded by Tasmania.
Dr Burns: Say it again, I did not hear it. Could you repeat it?
Dr TOYNE: I will say it again. The ABS figures show that the Territory recorded the second-highest drop in break-in victim numbers in Australia in 2002, down 15.2%, and only exceeded by Tasmania.
These figures show our law enforcement and crime prevention strategies are starting to produce results, although we still have a lot of work to do. The number of victims of break-ins and assaults in the Territory is still way too high, and we have already said that one victim is one too many. While we know that we cannot stop crime entirely, we are committed to continuing to work to reduce crime levels through effective law enforcement and targeted crime prevention strategies.
The message coming clearly from the release of the ABS statistics today is that mandatory sentencing was never the solution the CLP claimed. In fact, these figures are just another nail in the mandatory sentencing coffin.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016