Page 985 - Week 03 - Thursday, 22 March 2018

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video


4) Development Application practices and principles used in other Australian jurisdictions.

5) Any other relevant matter.

The committee will report by the last sitting day in November 2018. The committee wishes to note that whilst it will be inquiring into ACT development application processes, it is beyond the remit of the committee to inquire into, resolve or review individual development application matters. Consequently, submitters are urged to be aware that the committee will be unable to intervene in, offer any advice on, or otherwise be involved in individual development application processes.

Justice and Community Safety—Standing Committee

Statement by deputy chair

MS CODY (Murrumbidgee) (4.24): Pursuant to standing order 246A, I wish to make a statement on behalf of the Standing Committee on Justice and Community Safety relating to petition No 5-17, revenge porn—criminalisation, as referred to the committee, pursuant to standing order 99A, on 10 May 2017.

As members will recall, advice was provided to the Assembly on 6 June 2017 that the committee would report back to the Assembly as to how it may proceed with regard to further inquiry as it concerns the particulars of the referred petition and its requested action after considering the responsible minister’s response to the petition, which was due within three months of the tabling of the petition.

Specifically, as signatories to petition No 5-17, 520 residents of the ACT, sought to:

... draw to the attention of the Assembly that there is no specific criminal offence prohibiting the non-consensual disclosure of a sexual image (the phenomenon colloquially referred to as “revenge porn”).

… petitioners, therefore, request the Assembly to consider filling this gap in the law by criminalising the non-consensual disclosure of a sexual image.

In response, the Attorney-General advised on 20 July 2017, amongst other things, that:

The ACT government takes the issue of intimate image abuse very seriously. The sharing of intimate images without a person’s consent is a violation of their privacy. These images are shared to humiliate, harass and traumatise the victim and impacts their privacy and reputation. Section 12 of the Human Rights Act 2004 provides that everyone has the right not to have his or her privacy interfered with unlawfully or arbitrarily, and the right not to have his or her reputation unlawfully attacked.

On 19 May 2017 the Law, Crime and Community Safety Council (LCCSC), comprising Attorneys-General, Justice and Police Ministers from around Australia, discussed a national approach to intimate image abuse.


Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video