Page 2315 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 29 August 2023
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Environment has been calling so strongly since 2019 for climate assessments on budget decisions, under an established methodology. She is calling for quantitative assessments that use numbers. That is how she did her recent scope 3 report. She got someone to do the numeric data.
I am really pleased that we are moving to a more sophisticated world where we will consider these impacts. I think it is really great that we will consider this in regard to legislation, but I am slightly concerned. We had the hottest July we have seen on record. I have been riding to work in Canberra ever since I started work. This is the first winter I have ever had where I did not need to put my gloves on some mornings; it was that warm. We are in a very strange time. If we continue to make decisions now and into the future in the same way that we have been making them in the past, we are going to get the same results. I am really hoping we might reconsider that and think about using some more numeric tools, rather than just eyeballing things.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Crimes Legislation Amendment Bill 2022
Debate resumed from 23 November 2022, on motion by Mr Rattenbury:
That this bill be agreed to in principle.
MR CAIN (Ginninderra) (5.25): This is a significant bill that aims to introduce penalties for the public display of a Nazi symbol and for the unauthorised entry of a motor vehicle, as well as to improve the operation of the ACT criminal justice system, with other minor amendments. The Canberra Liberals will be supporting this bill.
The first significant change is to create an offence of the public display of the Nazi symbol where it is used in a political capacity or to encourage violence. Offenders found to publicly display this symbol face a maximum penalty of 12 months imprisonment, 120 penalty units or both. Police officers will also be gaining discretionary powers to direct offenders to remove such symbols. Where a person fails to comply with this direction, they face a 10 penalty unit punishment.
The bill does, however, sensibly allow the public display of the swastika for cultural or religious purposes, supporting Hindu, Buddhist and Jainism practices. It further supports the symbol tattooed onto persons, and instances where the symbolism is used in an academic or historical setting. The bill is aimed at reducing racial vilification by imposing penalties as deterrents, and for behaviours related to the use of that symbol.
I would like to throw in a few comments from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute about some general approaches to making our community safer for all. I will mention a quote from the Director-General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, Mr Mike Burgess, who identified extremism threats as significant and constantly evolving. Mr Burgess warned of a nationwide escalation in militant extremist behaviour. He said:
As a nation, we need to reflect on why some teenagers are hanging Nazi flags and portraits of the Christchurch killer on their bedroom walls and why others are sharing beheading videos.
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