Women Speak Tasmania was disappointed to see mandatory sentencing for serious child sexual assaults voted down last week when Liberal Speaker, Sue Hickey, used her casting vote to oppose the Sentencing Amendment (Mandatory Sentencing for Serious Sexual Offences Against Children) Bill 2018.
‘We understand the Government has been guided by the Tasmanian Sentencing Advisory Council’s recommendations in relation to the nature of these offences and the appropriate mandatory minimum sentences’, said Women Speak Tasmania.
‘Adequate safeguards have been provided to allow for judicial discretion to over-ride the mandatory minimums when that discretion is considered necessary’.
‘Many Tasmanians, including Beyond Abuse founder and survivor, Steven Fisher, members of the police service, and the wider community support minimum mandatory sentences for child sexual assault offences’.
‘Children and survivors of child sexual assault have been ignored and the vote against mandatory minimum sentencing has clearly failed them’.
‘Ms Hickey justified her vote by referring to the independence of the judiciary and the need to preserve the doctrine of separation of powers. At the state level, there is no authority that supports her spurious concerns. Legislation that provides for mandatory sentencing does not usurp the role of the judiciary’.
‘Interestingly, her concern for legal and legislative purity was nowhere to be seen when she voted in favour of the heavily amended Justice and Related Legislation (Marriage Amendments) Bill recently’.
‘In that case, she joined Labor and the Greens in ignoring the legitimate objections of female persons. Now, she’s ignoring the needs and rights of sexually abused children’.
‘We are also extremely disappointed none of the women’s groups that rushed to support transgender law reform have spoken out against the defeat of this Bill’.
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