Page 2595 - Week 07 - Thursday, 1 August 2019
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While I support these amendments I express the Greens’ position that there may be value in coming years for a broader review of the Bail Act and also to reconfirm our commitment to ensuring that the ACT is recognised as a leader in the area of human rights recognition and implementation.
I understand that recently the ACT committed to introducing amendments to insert the equitable sharing arrangements contained in the intergovernmental agreement into the Confiscation of Criminal Assets Act 2003, and we support the fact that the bill gives effect to the equitable sharing arrangements.
I also welcome the amendments that clarify the original policy intent for the definitions of “choke”, “strangle” and “suffocate” in the Crimes Act. International studies have clearly shown that experience of non-fatal strangulation is an important risk factor for the homicide of women, underscoring the need to screen for non-fatal strangulation when assessing abused women in emergency department settings. This fact has legislative policy and practice implications for the ACT. We strongly support the government work to date in the area of family violence and its continued efforts to refine and improve. This is an important affirmation of the Assembly’s intention in further clarifying this definition under the act.
The bill’s amendments in relation to hemp seeds or cannabis food products to be sold as food to be eaten seem to be common sense, self-explanatory and reflective of the wide range of these types of products that have populated the isle of grocery, health food and fitness stores for some time.
The last item I mention is in relation to the Firearms Act 1996. I am happy to support these amendments, however I use this opportunity to express our longstanding concerns regarding the lack of a national firearms register. While this is primarily a matter for the commonwealth it is an obvious gap in law enforcement’s ability to easily and simply track the movements of weapons and owners. I support the bill before the Assembly.
MR GENTLEMAN (Brindabella—Manager of Government Business, Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Minister for Planning and Land Management, Minister for Police and Emergency Services and Minister assisting the Chief Minister on Advanced Technology and Space Industries) (11.41): I am pleased to support the Crimes Legislation Amendment Bill 2018. The legislation supports the government’s commitment to improve access to justice for our community, create efficiencies and reduce wait times in the justice process.
As the Attorney-General has outlined, the Crimes Legislation Amendment Bill is an omnibus bill amending the Crimes (Child Sex Offenders) Act, the Crimes (Surveillance Devices) Act, the Crimes Act, the Drugs of Dependence Act, the Confiscation of Criminal Assets Act, the Magistrates Court Act, the Supreme Court Act and the Legislation Act. It makes minor, technical and commonsense amendments to modernise, simplify and clarify these pieces of legislation. The combined effect of these amendments is to improve the efficiency and operation of the criminal justice system in the ACT, an idea I am sure we all agree with.
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