Page 3782 - Week 10 - Thursday, 27 August 2009
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
manslaughter be increased to 25 years imprisonment—that is an increase of five years—and that it be increased to 31 years for aggravated manslaughter offences. As a more general recommendation, the committee recommends that the ACT government consider the need to undertake a general review of sentencing in the ACT.
Then we move directly on to the Crimes (Murder) Amendment Bill. The committee looked at a lot of the varying provisions which are set out in quite a deal of detail in both chapter 1 and in an appendix. The committee considered whether the words in the proposed amendment brought forward by the attorney were absolutely appropriate. The resolution of the committee was that the attorney consider alternative words.
The attorney, when this matter was referred to the committee, said that he was open to the idea of amendment; so we have recommended that he consider alternative words, words that instead of inserting the words in clause 5 “intending to cause serious harm to any person” should be replaced with “intending to cause a bodily injury of such a nature as to endanger or be likely to endanger the life of the person killed or another person”, and subsequently that the minister would also consider omitting the proposed clause 5.
Mr Speaker, this is an important piece of law reform. I think that the views of the committee were that the attorney may have handled this better and that there should have been more public consultation. I do not think the committee believes that the so-called mandate was sufficient consultation or the appropriate type of consultation for this type of inquiry and this type of reform. In future we would see there should be a much better type of community consultation than we saw on this occasion.
I commend the report to the Assembly. I once again commend my colleagues for the hard work that went into this inquiry. I thank most heartily the assistance we received from the committee office in this important inquiry.
Debate (on motion by Mr Corbell) adjourned to the next sitting.
Privileges 2009—Select Committee
Report
MS HUNTER (Ginninderra—Parliamentary Convenor, ACT Greens) (10.16): Pursuant to the order of the Assembly of 16 June, as amended on 18 August 2009, I present the following report:
Privileges—Select Committee—Report—Possible improper influence of a Member, dated 27 August 2009, together with a copy of the relevant minutes of proceedings
I move:
That the report be noted.
Today I have tabled the Select Committee on Privileges report “Possible improper influence of a member”. The committee was established after a matter was raised with the Speaker by Mr Hanson. In accordance with standing order 276, the Speaker gave
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .