Australia gets priorities right
For immediate release:
Australia gets priorities right
Western Australia is set to introduce a raft of new legislation that will give greater police powers while drug manufacturers and domestic violence offenders will get harsher penalties.
And the Sensible Sentencing Trust say New Zealand should do the same.
Trust Spokesman, Garth McVicar said while this country was languishing in the aftermath of 30 years of liberal ideology Australia was taking positive action to protect its citizens.
“The Australian proposal will take away magistrates power to issue fines or community based sentences and replace them with mandatory sentences.”
Mr. McVicar said while successive Governments in N Z had given judges wide discretion and even encouraged the use of community based sentences that power had been abused.
“Some N Z Judges are consistently
letting their colleagues down. These ‘bad’ Judges are
exposing citizens to an incredible danger by giving
offenders bail and / or a community based sentence which
often results in additional crime and in some cases the
death of innocent people.”
“At present if a Judges
actions result in someone being killed [such as Judge David
McNaughton in the Christie Marceau tragedy] there is no
mechanism to hold that Judge to account.”
“The Sensible Sentencing Trust believes there should be an annual performance review of Judges with the right of public recall for those whose actions result in the death of innocent people.”
“We want to reduce the number of victims, if that means Judges need to be held accountable for their actions – so be it.” ENDS