Mr GUNNER - 2008-09-11
Can the Chief Minister please update the House on the steps our government has taken to immediately deliver on its tough criminal law policies?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Fannie Bay for his question. This morning, my government demonstrated that we are not wasting any time in implementing our law and order commitments that we took to Territorians during the recent election. This government firmly believes that some types of offences are so serious, and their effects on victims are so serious, that anything other than prison time is unacceptable. We agree with the community that repeat offenders should not be given easy access to bail. These were key issues that we took to the people at the last election, that we had a mandate for, and that we are implementing as soon as we possibly can. We took these issues fairly and squarely to the electorate.
The opposition took a firm position as well. Well, it started off as a firm position, that serious violent offenders should be given a second chance. That was the firm position with which the opposition started off their election campaign - and that was the television advertisements that were run, I think, a couple of weeks before the election that was called. Very clearly, the phrase from the Leader of the Opposition at the time, around two weeks before the election was called, was: ‘Commit your first offence and it is up to the court’. That was the policy of the Leader of the Opposition. It changed a couple of times as time moved on.
The community demands consistency, and that is what I am determined to bring as Chief Minister - a real deterrent - and that is what our policies will reflect. These are tough laws that we are introducing into this parliament; certainly, they are the toughest in the country. Given the nature and effect of serious violent offences, so they should be. I do not apologise for it.
Under this framework, every potential offender should be on notice from this side of the Chamber - there will be no second chances if you commit serious violent offences. That was the policy that we took to the election. That is what we will deliver in this term of parliament.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Fannie Bay for his question. This morning, my government demonstrated that we are not wasting any time in implementing our law and order commitments that we took to Territorians during the recent election. This government firmly believes that some types of offences are so serious, and their effects on victims are so serious, that anything other than prison time is unacceptable. We agree with the community that repeat offenders should not be given easy access to bail. These were key issues that we took to the people at the last election, that we had a mandate for, and that we are implementing as soon as we possibly can. We took these issues fairly and squarely to the electorate.
The opposition took a firm position as well. Well, it started off as a firm position, that serious violent offenders should be given a second chance. That was the firm position with which the opposition started off their election campaign - and that was the television advertisements that were run, I think, a couple of weeks before the election that was called. Very clearly, the phrase from the Leader of the Opposition at the time, around two weeks before the election was called, was: ‘Commit your first offence and it is up to the court’. That was the policy of the Leader of the Opposition. It changed a couple of times as time moved on.
The community demands consistency, and that is what I am determined to bring as Chief Minister - a real deterrent - and that is what our policies will reflect. These are tough laws that we are introducing into this parliament; certainly, they are the toughest in the country. Given the nature and effect of serious violent offences, so they should be. I do not apologise for it.
Under this framework, every potential offender should be on notice from this side of the Chamber - there will be no second chances if you commit serious violent offences. That was the policy that we took to the election. That is what we will deliver in this term of parliament.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016