Page 1715 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 17 October 1989
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receive some financial recognition over and above what the Government had proposed.
Mr Humphries: Yes, but not over and above what you asked for.
MS FOLLETT: Over and above what the Government had proposed.
Mr Humphries: No, we did not ask that.
MR SPEAKER: Order! Address your question through the chair.
MS FOLLETT: Mr Speaker, that is my recollection of the Liberal Party's submission. The Residents Rally shared that view, and the No Self Government Party asked for a number of amendments to the Government's submission, the effect of which was to raise our initial submission.
Mr Humphries: We made no comment on dollar values.
MS FOLLETT: Mr Speaker, Mr Humphries interjects that the Liberal Party made no comment on dollar values, but it did, to the very best of my recollection, include in its submission on the Government's discussion paper a very firm indication that it sought financial recompense to the leaders of other parties in this Assembly.
Prison Sentencing
MR WOOD: I direct a question to the Minister for Community Services and Health. I notice that there have been changes to the sentencing laws in New South Wales and the introduction of a concept of truth in sentencing. Does this change have any impact on the ACT? If that is the case, would the Minister describe that impact.
MR BERRY: I thank Mr Wood for the question. The truth in sentencing laws which were introduced in New South Wales do, indeed, have an effect on prisoners from the ACT. The New South Wales Sentencing Act 1989, which gives statutory effect to the truth in sentencing policy introduced by the Greiner Government, commenced on 25 September 1989. The consequences for the ACT and ACT prisoners include the abolition of the granting of remissions from prisoners' terms of imprisonment, which was generally one-third of a prisoner's non-parole period. So that in itself is a fairly significant impact on sentencing. ACT judges and magistrates will retain the power to impose non-parole periods when sentencing, but ACT prisoners sentenced prior to 25 September 1989 will be granted, in effect, all the remissions they would ordinarily have expected to be given under the previous sentencing scheme. If there is no change to ACT sentencing practice or law, ACT prisoners sentenced after 25 September will serve approximately 50 per cent more time in gaol than was previously the case.
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