The Fyles Labor government was called out today for changing sentencing laws to make incarceration numbers look better today.
Shadow Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Steven Edgington said Labor’s soft-on-crime removal of Mandatory Sentencing Bill was actually a smokescreen for covering up their crime crisis.
“Let’s call this out for what it is – a way for Labor to empty their overflowing prisons,” he said.
“They have encouraged a surge in crime and the resulting influx into the judicial system has Territory prisons overflowing.”
Violent offenders back on the streets
Mr Edgington said removing mandatory sentencing for serious and violent crimes, including domestic violence, was in direct contrast to Labor’s police minister earlier in the day.
Kate Worden spoke about increasing penalties for offenders trying to take a police officer’s gun, saying: “the penalties attached to these offences do not reflect the seriousness of this extremely dangerous conduct”.
Only hours later, Labor was watering down penalties for many serious and violent offences.
“It means criminals who choke and strangle their partner or kids would not serve a mandatory minimum prison sentence,” Mr Edgington said.
“When domestic violence assaults are up 42.7% under Labor, the last thing they should be doing is giving perpetrators an easy ride.
“That’s out of step with community expectation and it’s the government’s job to create laws in line with community expectation.”
Labor’s “vulnerable people” abandoned
Mr Edgington pointed out the hypocrisy Labor had delivered for the Territory this week.
“On Tuesday Labor talked about passing laws to protect vulnerable people but then pass a law today that does the opposite,” he said.
“Where is Labor representing the disproportionately Aboriginal victims of domestic violence?”
ENDS