Page 2799 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 11 October 2022
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These three petitions call for actions to remedy the flaws in our justice system, which Tom has so effectively highlighted. Firstly, an independent review on the performance of the ACT judiciary in regard to sentencing, in line with the common and statutory laws because sentencing is not meeting community expectations.
The petition states:
If the Attorney-General does not wish for a review of the performance of the judiciary due to his own legal and personal bias, prejudices or political persuasions then he should be considered unfit for office and removed from his position by the Chief Minister.
Secondly, Madam Speaker, is a petition to review the process for appointments to the ACT judiciary to allow transparency and for nominees to meet the community expectations because of concerns with the lack of transparency in appointments to the judiciary.
And thirdly, a petition to implement sentencing guidelines for grievous and purposely reckless motor vehicle crimes, and addressing reoffending following evidence of repeated motor vehicle crimes and incidents endangering the community, including loss of life, and to require minimum sentencing guidelines to be applied to enforce appropriate penalty deterrent to repeat offenders, including reoffending on bail, good behaviour bonds, community based orders and parole.
Madam Speaker, these petitions have the support of the Australian Federal Police Association, an organisation representing our frontline police, who have described the sentencing and bail processes in the territory as fundamentally flawed and dangerously inadequate. The AFPA have joined with thousands of members of our community in calling on the Attorney-General to step down.
With our frontline police and so many of our community losing confidence in the justice system and in our Attorney-General, it is imperative that an independent review into that system occur to restore confidence. If the Attorney-General is unwilling to take that action, then he must be replaced by someone who is.
Sadly, if he still refuses by the close of these petitions today to instigate the review into sentencing and bail, then it leaves me with no option but to support the AFPA and our frontline police and to support our victims of crime, those that are here with us today and the many thousands of others in our community, and move a motion of no confidence. I foreshadow that in that case I will be moving no confidence in our Attorney-General.
DR PATERSON (Murrumbidgee) (10.10): I would like to speak briefly to Mr McLuckie’s petitions. Firstly, I would like to express my sincere condolences to Mr McLuckie and his family for the loss of their son, Matthew. I congratulate you all for the amazing work that you have done and the support that you have garnered for the petitions that you tabled here today. They are a testament to the high level of community concern, which I share, on the level of dangerous driving on our roads.
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