Page 4837 - Week 15 - Thursday, 16 December 1993

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MADAM SPEAKER,

A MAJOR REVIEW OF PENALTIES IN A.C.T. LEGISLATION WAS

STARTED BY A.C.T. AGENCIES THIS YEAR. THE FOCUS OF THE

REVIEW IS ON PROVIDING UP-TO-DATE AND CONSISTENT

PENALTIES IN ALL ACT LEGISLATION. .

THE BILL GIVES EFFECT TO THE OUTCOME OF THE FIRST STAGE OF THE REVIEW OF PENALTIES. IN THIS FIRST STAGE, THE MORE IMPORTANT PENALTIES WERE REVIEWED. BY AGENCIES. THESE ARE PENALTIES IN ACTS OF SOCIAL IMPORTANCE SUCH AS THE OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY ACT 1989 AND THE .CHELDRENS SERVICES ACT 1986.

THE SECOND STAGE OF THE REVIEW IS IN PROGRESS AND I HOPE TO INTRODUCE A FURTHER BILL IN THE ASSEMBLY NEXT YEAR TO UPDATE ALL THE REMAINING PENALTIES IN ACT LEGISLATION.

THE NEED FOR THIS INITIATIVE HAS BEEN APPARENT FOR SOME

TIME. PENALTIES IN SOME ACTS WERE FIXED MANY YEARS AGO .

AND ARE OUT OF DATE. ALSO, DIFFERENT POLICIES HAVE BEEN

ADOPTED IN THE PAST IN SETTING FINE .AMOUNTS AND TERMS OF

IMPRISONMENT IN LEGISLATION. THIS REVIEW AIMS TO .APPLY A

CONSISTENT POLICY ON PENALTIES .THROUGH OUT ACT

LEGISLATION. .

THE PENALTIES REVIEW HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN ADDRESSING

WEAKNESSES, DEFICIENCIES AND INCONSISTENCIES IN PENALTIES

IN A.C.T. LEGISLATION. IN SOME STATUTES THERE ARE PENALTIES

WHICH ARE CLEARLY NOT CONSISTENT WITH THE SEVERITY OF THE

OFFENCES AND IN SOME INSTANCES PENALTIES ARE INTERNALLY

INCONSISTENT. THIS BILL WILL REMEDY THOSE DEFECTS

IN REVISING MAXIMUM. PENALTY LIMITS THE BILL WILL ENSURE THE COURTS WILL HAVE MORE FLEXIBILITY IN IMPOSING APPROPRIATE PENALTIES IN TERMS OF SENTENCING POLICIES.

4837

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