Government must act now to extend protection orders

The Bracks Government must not use today’s Sentencing Advisory Council report as an excuse for more delay or inaction in protecting the community against high risk serious offenders including rapists, murderers and arsonists, Shadow Attorney General Robert Clark said.

“The Liberal Party has long been calling for courts to have the power to order any serious offender to be subject to ongoing detention or other restrictions if the court believes there is a high risk they will commit further serious offences if released,” Mr Clark said.

The Bracks Government’s response was to look into the issue, by referring it to the Sentencing Advisory Council in May last year.

Today, more than a year later, the Sentencing Advisory Council has released a report opposing the use of continuing detention as an option.

However, the report says if the government is going to have continuing detention there should be a new set of laws.

The Council also recommended that the existing laws should be extended to murder, manslaughter and attempted murder.

The Bracks Government says it will introduce the new rules, but will apply them only to sex offenders.

The Liberal Party believes the top priority is not designing a new set of rules, but for our courts to have the power to protect the community against all high risk serious offenders who pose a serious danger to the community.

Under existing laws for extended supervision orders, the courts can impose a range of restrictions, including detention. However those laws apply only to child sex offenders and a very limited number of other sex offences. They do not apply to offenders who have committed violent sex crimes or other crimes against adults.

“The Bracks Government should move quickly to extend the existing laws, before more serious offenders are released into our community.

“The Liberal Party would be prepared to fast track legislation for such an extension through Parliament when Parliament next sits in two weeks time, so as to provide immediate protection to the community”, Mr Clark said.