Mr BELL - 1996-10-17
On 20 August this year, the Attorney-General told this parliament:
This Country Liberal Party government has a prime record when it comes to law and order issues. It is
one of the prime functions of government, and one of the very basic reasons that we have government, to make
laws for the safety of the community. The first principle of law and order is that Territorians have
the right to be protected from those who would do them harm.
Mr Speaker, I have a copy of a letter written to the Attorney-General by a respected former magistrate, Mr Bruce McCormack, and I seek leave to table a copy of that letter.
Leave granted.
Mr BELL: Bruce McCormack paints a picture of absolute policy confusion in the Country Liberal Party administration. He says firstly that ministers have contradicted each other on everything from sentencing through to corrections administration. Secondly, he says the Country Liberal Party has failed to deliver on its promise ...
Mr REED: A point of order, Mr Speaker! I think it is time the honourable member asked his question.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I am being reasonably lenient because some ministers have been rather long-winded in their answers. I ask the member for MacDonnell to come to the point of the question as quickly as possible.
Mr BELL: To answer the Deputy Chief Minister's concerns, it is a detailed letter and the question does require some explanation. Mr McCormack says firstly that ministers have contradicted each other on everything from sentencing through to corrections administration and, secondly, that the Country Liberal Party has failed to deliver on its promise of a crime research centre. Thirdly, he says that currently there is an 11-month delay in obtaining a trial ...
Mr COULTER: A point of order, Mr Speaker! You have previously ruled that short preambles to questions are acceptable. Your response to the Deputy Chief Minister that
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ministers have given long answers at times does not, I believe, warrant the leniency which is being extended to the member for MacDonnell at the moment. I am not reflecting on your previous decision, Mr Speaker.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! Would the member for MacDonnell please advise me how much more he has to go before he gets to the question?
Mr BELL: Be patient.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member for MacDonnell will complete the question as quickly as possible.
Mr BELL: I will ask the question. I can understand the sensitivity of the government.
Why has the minister allowed the total confusion in our criminal justice system to occur? Further, why have all his fine words of 20 August simply not been matched by action on the part of the Country Liberal Party administration?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, Mr McCormack has a view, and I would say that Mr McCormack's view is shared by others of his ilk. The government has a view, and it is a view that is shared by the community. That is the view we are responding to with the changes in the Sentencing Act. In fact, I thought the member for MacDonnell might mention that there are 400 prisoners per 100 000 population in our prisons at the moment. This is the same opposition ...
Mr Ah Kit: Another record you are skiting about.
Mr BURKE: You cannot have it both ways. You cannot say, on the one hand, that we are doing nothing about law and order while, at the same time, emphasising that we have a fairly high prison population. We are moving in those areas all the time. People who are in our prisons ...
Mr Bailey: Simply locking people up does not stop crime.
A member: Oh, you would let them all out, would you?
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr Finch interjecting.
Mr Bailey: Do something that deals with crime.
Mr Finch interjecting.
Mr Bailey: You are an alcoholic. I will not comment on it.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
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Mr BURKE: I will pick up the interjection, Mr Speaker. Perhaps the member for Wanguri might suggest which one we should release.
Mr Stone: He is a psychologist. He knows everything, doesn't he?
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The minister will please resume his seat. I am experiencing great difficulty in hearing the minister's answer. I would appreciate a little more silence on both sides of the Chamber.
Mr BURKE: This is the opposition that seeks advice from prisoners on issues of law and order ...
Members interjecting.
Mr Bailey: This is the government that gives ...
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member for Wanguri is on warning.
Mr BURKE: The rhetoric of members opposite claims that we are too soft on law and order and that our programs go nowhere yet, at the same time, the prison population that we have reflects the fact that people who are guilty go to jail if they deserve to go to jail. That is why prisoner numbers are high. We are moving now to increase penalties across a whole range of areas in response to requests from the community, which is the voice we listen to.
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This Country Liberal Party government has a prime record when it comes to law and order issues. It is
one of the prime functions of government, and one of the very basic reasons that we have government, to make
laws for the safety of the community. The first principle of law and order is that Territorians have
the right to be protected from those who would do them harm.
Mr Speaker, I have a copy of a letter written to the Attorney-General by a respected former magistrate, Mr Bruce McCormack, and I seek leave to table a copy of that letter.
Leave granted.
Mr BELL: Bruce McCormack paints a picture of absolute policy confusion in the Country Liberal Party administration. He says firstly that ministers have contradicted each other on everything from sentencing through to corrections administration. Secondly, he says the Country Liberal Party has failed to deliver on its promise ...
Mr REED: A point of order, Mr Speaker! I think it is time the honourable member asked his question.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I am being reasonably lenient because some ministers have been rather long-winded in their answers. I ask the member for MacDonnell to come to the point of the question as quickly as possible.
Mr BELL: To answer the Deputy Chief Minister's concerns, it is a detailed letter and the question does require some explanation. Mr McCormack says firstly that ministers have contradicted each other on everything from sentencing through to corrections administration and, secondly, that the Country Liberal Party has failed to deliver on its promise of a crime research centre. Thirdly, he says that currently there is an 11-month delay in obtaining a trial ...
Mr COULTER: A point of order, Mr Speaker! You have previously ruled that short preambles to questions are acceptable. Your response to the Deputy Chief Minister that
Page 1722
ministers have given long answers at times does not, I believe, warrant the leniency which is being extended to the member for MacDonnell at the moment. I am not reflecting on your previous decision, Mr Speaker.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! Would the member for MacDonnell please advise me how much more he has to go before he gets to the question?
Mr BELL: Be patient.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member for MacDonnell will complete the question as quickly as possible.
Mr BELL: I will ask the question. I can understand the sensitivity of the government.
Why has the minister allowed the total confusion in our criminal justice system to occur? Further, why have all his fine words of 20 August simply not been matched by action on the part of the Country Liberal Party administration?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, Mr McCormack has a view, and I would say that Mr McCormack's view is shared by others of his ilk. The government has a view, and it is a view that is shared by the community. That is the view we are responding to with the changes in the Sentencing Act. In fact, I thought the member for MacDonnell might mention that there are 400 prisoners per 100 000 population in our prisons at the moment. This is the same opposition ...
Mr Ah Kit: Another record you are skiting about.
Mr BURKE: You cannot have it both ways. You cannot say, on the one hand, that we are doing nothing about law and order while, at the same time, emphasising that we have a fairly high prison population. We are moving in those areas all the time. People who are in our prisons ...
Mr Bailey: Simply locking people up does not stop crime.
A member: Oh, you would let them all out, would you?
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr Finch interjecting.
Mr Bailey: Do something that deals with crime.
Mr Finch interjecting.
Mr Bailey: You are an alcoholic. I will not comment on it.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
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Mr BURKE: I will pick up the interjection, Mr Speaker. Perhaps the member for Wanguri might suggest which one we should release.
Mr Stone: He is a psychologist. He knows everything, doesn't he?
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The minister will please resume his seat. I am experiencing great difficulty in hearing the minister's answer. I would appreciate a little more silence on both sides of the Chamber.
Mr BURKE: This is the opposition that seeks advice from prisoners on issues of law and order ...
Members interjecting.
Mr Bailey: This is the government that gives ...
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member for Wanguri is on warning.
Mr BURKE: The rhetoric of members opposite claims that we are too soft on law and order and that our programs go nowhere yet, at the same time, the prison population that we have reflects the fact that people who are guilty go to jail if they deserve to go to jail. That is why prisoner numbers are high. We are moving now to increase penalties across a whole range of areas in response to requests from the community, which is the voice we listen to.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016