Page 3558 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 25 August 2009
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It is a useful report. It is well worth the read for those that have not yet done so. I will highlight the origins of this report. This is not some new change of heart from this government. This government is without doubt the softest on law and order in the nation and we are, without question, the softest jurisdiction on law and order reform. For Mr Corbell to present this report to the Assembly and to try and suggest that he has an agenda to try and remedy—
Mr Corbell: What is your position on murder law reform, Jeremy? Tell us that. Is that a serious crime?
MR HANSON: the inaction of this government over successive years to do anything substantive about law and order—
Mr Barr: Come on. Be a hard man there, Jeremy. Muscle up, mate.
MR HANSON: in the territory—
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order, members!
MR HANSON: I do not mind them rabbiting on, Madam Deputy Speaker. Let us remember where this report comes from. It is a fact that other Labor jurisdictions, notably New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland, have actually taken substantive action with regard to organised crime. They are actually moving forward, as is the federal government. Pressure is being put on this government by organisations such as the AFPA to actually do something. On 1 April, the Assembly debated a motion that called on the government to table a report to investigate what could be done to promote law and order in this jurisdiction. Clearly, without that sort of motivation this government has done very little.
I do not want to see Mr Corbell going out into the community with this pretence that he is tough on law and order and that this is all his idea. We saw that with Ms Gallagher. All of a sudden she loves GPs. The Assembly told her to do something about GPs. She ignored the issue for years, just as Mr Corbell and the Stanhope government ignored the issue of law and order for years, and now she says: “GPs. Well, yes, we are going to have a task force.” She forgets, of course, that it is the Assembly that has instructed her to do so. No doubt we will now see Mr Corbell telling everyone how tough he is on law and order. Well, the proof of the pudding will be in the eating. All we have so far is a report, and it will be very interesting to see what actually comes out of the report in terms of legislation.
It is an important debate, and we welcome the debate and the report. We do not agree with all that is in the report. It does not actually make recommendations, but it does have some useful comments. Some, I think, are very useful and I agree with them wholeheartedly. Others clearly do not go far enough.
I will turn to the proposed legislative changes. The report discusses a number of important issues, the first being unexplained wealth provisions. Currently, the onus is on the courts to establish that unexplained wealth of criminals is the proceeds of crime.
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