Page 1653 - Week 06 - Thursday, 23 July 2020
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It is not just the legal profession saying this. Winnunga Nimmityjah, a very important community service organisation here in the ACT, speaks against anti-consorting laws, as does ACTCOSS. We hear, right across the breadth of the community, about the importance of not having anti-consorting laws here in the ACT.
I am delighted to hold up this government’s and my personal commitment to take action to have a safe and strong community. What I will do, as long as I have the privilege and the honour of being the Attorney-General, is to ensure that we work in an evidence-based way to promote a safe and secure community.
We have worked strongly and specifically to address the issues of organised crime and violent behaviour. We have enacted legislation that has given police anti-fortification disruptive powers. We have enacted legislation to expand crime scene powers. We have enacted legislation that has strengthened the confiscation of criminal assets. We have increased penalties for drive-by shootings, fighting and offensive behaviour. We have increased penalties for specified offences committed in connection with a criminal group or committed by a person associated with a criminal group, and we have created tiered offences of serious affray.
We have introduced an exclusion order scheme to exclude certain people from specified licensed premises through a civil mechanism, and we are introducing the cancellation of a licence under the Liquor Act 2010 or the Construction Occupations (Licensing) Act 2004 on the basis of a person’s criminal activities.
Our evidence-based approach means that we have legislation now before the Assembly to introduce an ACT-based unexplained wealth scheme, to work alongside the national unexplained wealth scheme, so that we can disrupt and attack the foundation of organised crime, which is the motive of criminal profit. I am very pleased that we are due to be debating that legislation later today.
Our evidence-based approach is effective. The police data shows that the total number of members associated with ACT chapters of serious criminal gangs is estimated currently at 30 to 40 people, a decrease from the previously reported numbers of approximately 70 people in 2018-19. Effectiveness is what counts.
Of course, this sits alongside the additional resourcing that this government has been providing, both to ACT Policing and to the ACT Director of Public Prosecutions through Taskforce Nemesis and other teams, to have the proactive and undermining work that is taking place to undermine the work of those people who are deliberately choosing to operate outside the law. I am proud to have been working alongside my colleagues to make this happen.
Through all of those reforms, each of the ones that I have listed, the opposition has said, “I hadn’t thought of that one. Hadn’t thought of that one. Oh, that’s a good one; I hadn’t thought of that one either.” With each step along the way, we have taken the initiative, we have taken the step, we have worked and we have been effective in that regard. The work of this government stands in contrast to the cheap stunt that is again coming from the shadow attorney-general. I do not support the motion, and I commend the amendment to the Assembly.
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