Page 3728 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 22 November 2006
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tragic incidents in recent times in Canberra. It is a real problem. We had a recent fatal stabbing outside a nightclub in Civic some months earlier and then, in the space of about two weeks, there were five other incidents involving knives being used to commit offences and, indeed, people were injured. It is a real concern, especially around our nightspots but further outside as well, that a number of people are carrying knives almost as a matter of course.
Some months ago, I think in late August, Mr Pratt and I had the opportunity of going out with the police on a relatively quiet Friday night. I thank the attorney and the minister for police for allowing that to occur. It was interesting to talk to officers on the beat and also to talk to various people we came across in Civic.
In talking to one fellow who is a youth worker but also doubles as a bouncer at a nightclub near Garema Place, I was concerned to hear, although it does not surprise me, that more and more people—usually young men—are in the habit of carrying knives. He was telling me what a problem it is. If you carry a knife, invariably if something happens and there is a problem and you pull a knife, someone might get injured or you, yourself, might get injured.
This is not something that occurred 20 or 30 years ago. It is becoming more prevalent. He was concerned. He indicated that one young fellow he was helping out produced three knives. The youth worker told us that, more and more frequently, knives are used in fights. That was his anecdotal evidence. You only have to look at the incidents that have been occurring in the last few years to see that knives are being used frequently in relation to a wide range of assaults and a wide range of incidents.
There have always been problems when there is alcohol. Of course, these days it is fuelled more by drugs, especially the amphetamine-type drugs. Drugs like ice make the problem much worse. There have always been some problems, obviously, around licensed premises. Twenty, 30 or 40 years ago people who had had too much grog would often engage in a punch-up using fists and you might have a few boots being put in. At worst—and I saw this from time to time as a prosecutor—a broken glass might be thrust into someone’s face. That was regarded as particularly horrendous. Going back to my days as a prosecutor, you rarely saw incidents of knives being used in those types of situations. Sadly, for whatever reason, that is no longer the case today.
Some knife legislation was introduced by, I think, the previous government as a result of concerns Mr Rugendyke had. Police indicate to me that, whilst that is obviously of some assistance and covers a broad range of incidents, including the occasional person taking a knife to school, for example, and knives outside of the main trouble spots, which tend to be around Civic, and other licensed establishment areas, there seems to be a reluctance of police, or they are not able, to enforce the law as well as they could.
My bill, apart from bringing us into line with other states and rationalising the penalty regime, which is important, I think more importantly introduces a new offence. It gives police some additional powers to counter the problem and, hopefully, to nip potential trouble in the bud. We have been told quite clearly that the current ability of
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