Leader of the Opposition, Lia Finocchiaro, says it’s extraordinary that the Minister for Territory Families, Kate Worden, doesn’t understand the youth justice laws her government passed – and she’s currently responsible for.
Minister Worden this morning told Mix104.9: “ .. electronic monitoring is a condition of bail often. So, if a let’s say a young person tampers with that electronic monitoring device, well, then that would be considered a breach of bail which obviously can then be followed up and prosecuted”.
“This is 100% wrong. A youth cannot be prosecuted for a breach of bail conditions, because the Gunner Government removed it as a criminal offence in 2019. You cannot be prosecuted for something that is decriminalised.
“The real question is, how many youths have been charged with tampering with an electronic monitoring device and of those, how many have been prosecuted?
“The Minister doesn’t understand her own legislation, and voted down debating the CLP’s Bail Amendment Bill 2021 on urgency – which would make breach of bail conditions an offence – presumably, because she is so far out of her depth on the issue.
“The Minister is clearly taking her cues from the Chief Minister whose ignorance on important law and order reform is astonishing. Last month, in response to the A Current Affair report he told media “there is no presumption of bail”. There is for youths, Chief Minister, you put it there.
“The fact that breach of bail conditions was removed as a criminal offence for youths is a clear and consistent criticism the CLP has been raising since Labor passed these laws. For the Minister responsible to still not be aware of this, is negligent,” said Ms Finocchiaro.