Page 5125 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 28 November 2017
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
shooting offence and better powers for police to establish and hold crime scenes quickly so that investigations—
Ms Lawder: A point of order Madam Speaker: I understand that standing order 59 relates to anticipating discussion. Tomorrow we have a notice on the notice paper relating to this matter. I am unsure why we have a question anticipating that discussion.
MADAM SPEAKER: I think this point of order has been raised before. A number of times the Leader of the Opposition has asked questions anticipating private members’ business. If we were to take every anticipation as being out of order, there would be very limited discussion and questions. So there is no point of order.
Mr Steel: On the point of order: my understanding is that it does not apply to question time; it applies to other proceedings.
MADAM SPEAKER: Thank you for your assistance Mr Steel!
MR RAMSAY: These changes will give Taskforce Nemesis further practical tools to investigate and enforce the law. We will not be stopping there: we will continue to examine options and bring them before the Assembly to add further tools to assist our law enforcement officials to combat the activity of criminal gangs in the ACT.
MS ORR: Attorney-General, has the confiscation of criminal assets legislation in the ACT been used successfully against organised crime?
MR RAMSAY: I thank Ms Orr for the supplementary. Yes, indeed, an important element of disrupting criminal gangs is to target their finances and to take the profit out of crime. To this end the government has significantly invested in resourcing the criminal assets investigation team within Taskforce Nemesis to focus hard on confiscation of criminal assets. Taskforce Nemesis works closely with the Director of Public Prosecutions to confiscate the assets of OMCG members and together they have had excellent results.
During the 2016-17 financial year tainted interests in six residential properties were forfeited to the territory, with a total value of $1.1 million. $720,000 in cash, vehicles and other property was also forfeited. A further $1.8 million worth of real estate, cash, vehicles and other property was restrained. That work is ongoing. As was reported in the Canberra Times a fortnight ago, nearly $400,000 was seized very recently as the result of a drug trafficking case.
The government will continue to use every available method to let serious organised crime gangs know that our community does not tolerate their criminal behaviour. We will continue to disrupt the illegal activities of criminal gangs to ensure that they are unable to profit from wreaking havoc on community order and public safety.
MR STEEL: Attorney-General, what are the core values that shape the government’s approach to legislation that targets organised crime?
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video