Page 2871 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 11 October 2022
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
We have also heard from our Victims of Crimes Commissioner about the issues surrounding the use of good character assessments as a mitigating factor for domestic and sexual violence sentencing. The commissioner has said:
An offender’s good character might enable that offending to be masked and remain undetected given the private nature of domestic and family violence.
We need to do better. We need to review these mechanisms to ensure that we provide appropriate sentencing measures that are guided by evidence-based recommendations. It is imperative that we improve the effectiveness of family violence sentencing practices to match community expectations and build faith in the criminal justice process. I commend this motion to the Assembly.
MR HANSON (Murrumbidgee) (4.08): I have an amendment that I will be moving, I foreshadow. The speech that we heard from Mr Rattenbury was a little bit like his speech this morning, where he was gaslighting, saying that this equated to saying no-one should get bail. He again tried to put a whole bunch of political spin on it. It is probably not worth, to be frank, unpicking what he said. I do not really see a lot of benefit in going forward on that.
I assume, from what Dr Paterson was saying in her speech, that she will not be supporting a review. She is nodding to that effect. I will refer to what she has been saying publicly, to contrast with what she is now going to do in the chamber. I think it is important, because it does frustrate me when people say one thing to constituents, one thing publicly, but then come into this place and say something different. It is frustrating to me and it is obviously frustrating to members of the community.
I will quote from an article entitled “ACT Labor’s Marisa Paterson breaks from government position, backs sentencing review push”:
A Labor backbencher has backed a push for a wide-scale review of criminal sentencing in the ACT, breaking ranks from the government’s position that a review is not necessary to improve the system.
Marisa Paterson said that she believed a review would be a really practical way to address community concerns with the way criminal sentences were being imposed in the ACT.
It continues:
“I do think that a review is a reasonable ask,” Dr Paterson said.
That is what she said back then. It continues:
Dr Paterson used a Facebook post on Monday to express support for a campaign for tougher sentencing organised by Tom McLuckie, whose son was killed in a car crash on Hindmarsh Drive earlier this year.
Again, I quote from Dr Paterson:
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video