Mr BONSON - 2007-10-17
Can you inform the Assembly about recent milestones reached under the Territory’s criminal property forfeiture scheme and what more the government is doing to ensure criminals do not benefit from their actions?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Millner for his question. We have reached a very important milestone in our fight against crime, particularly crime that is high level and organised. Through the hard work of our specialist police investigators and our lawyers within the Department of Justice, we have now seized over $10m worth of assets since the Criminal Property Forfeiture Act was passed by this Assembly back in 2003, $2.2m of that since May last year. Some assets have been restrained to this point, other matters have been finalised and, where finalised, property has been forfeited.
We are hitting criminals on this issue where it hurts them most, in their hip pocket, so that they now know that, along with the serious criminal penalties, there is every chance their boat, their unit, their flash car, their holiday home will not be there when they get out from doing time.
I was out at lunchtime inspecting quite an impressive boat. It was called The Predator and is worth well over $100 000. That has been seized, forfeited by the Crown.
Mrs Braham: Going to buy it with your super, Syd?
Mr STIRLING: Oh, it is too expensive for me, member for Braitling. It will be auctioned off. So, once it is all through the court, matters have been finalised, any appeal processes are out of the way, that boat is at Spot On Marine being prepared for disposal by the Crown, the proceeds of which will go back to Central Holding, Treasury, for the benefit of the taxpayer.
That tells me that the Criminal Property Forfeiture Act of 2003 is working well. We need to continue to ensure that crime is not worth people’s while, whether it is trafficking, dealing drugs or other organised operations. Our efforts in this area are to reduce any criminal incentives that exist to zero. That is why we put an extra $1.2m ongoing this financial year into both Police and the Department of Justice: so they have the resources necessary to concentrate on this area of proceeds of crime matters and to ensure that we continue to have the capacity to chase these assets down and seize them from criminals who have no right to enjoy them.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Millner for his question. We have reached a very important milestone in our fight against crime, particularly crime that is high level and organised. Through the hard work of our specialist police investigators and our lawyers within the Department of Justice, we have now seized over $10m worth of assets since the Criminal Property Forfeiture Act was passed by this Assembly back in 2003, $2.2m of that since May last year. Some assets have been restrained to this point, other matters have been finalised and, where finalised, property has been forfeited.
We are hitting criminals on this issue where it hurts them most, in their hip pocket, so that they now know that, along with the serious criminal penalties, there is every chance their boat, their unit, their flash car, their holiday home will not be there when they get out from doing time.
I was out at lunchtime inspecting quite an impressive boat. It was called The Predator and is worth well over $100 000. That has been seized, forfeited by the Crown.
Mrs Braham: Going to buy it with your super, Syd?
Mr STIRLING: Oh, it is too expensive for me, member for Braitling. It will be auctioned off. So, once it is all through the court, matters have been finalised, any appeal processes are out of the way, that boat is at Spot On Marine being prepared for disposal by the Crown, the proceeds of which will go back to Central Holding, Treasury, for the benefit of the taxpayer.
That tells me that the Criminal Property Forfeiture Act of 2003 is working well. We need to continue to ensure that crime is not worth people’s while, whether it is trafficking, dealing drugs or other organised operations. Our efforts in this area are to reduce any criminal incentives that exist to zero. That is why we put an extra $1.2m ongoing this financial year into both Police and the Department of Justice: so they have the resources necessary to concentrate on this area of proceeds of crime matters and to ensure that we continue to have the capacity to chase these assets down and seize them from criminals who have no right to enjoy them.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016