Tuesday 15 April 2008

TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE ON SUPERVISION ORDER EXTENSION

Almost 10 months after announcing it would act, the Brumby Government has
finally got around to producing legislation to implement part of the
Opposition?s policy to provide greater protection for the community
against high risk serious offenders, said Robert Clark, Shadow
Attorney-General.

Today the government has announced it proposes to extend the existing law,
which applies to sex offences against children, to apply to sex offenders
against adults as well.

However, the new laws will not apply to other high risk serious offenders
such as murderers or arsonists.

The Opposition believes the courts should be given the power to order any
serious offender ? not just a sex offender ? to be subject to ongoing
detention or other restrictions, if the court is satisfied there is a high
risk of them committing further serious offences if released.

It was Liberal Party policy at the last state election to:
?broaden the scope of Extended Supervision Orders (ESOs), used to maintain
scrutiny over serious criminals like Mr Baldy at the end of their prison
term, so that they cover all serious offences including murder and rape?

The government has previously defeated Opposition moves in Parliament to
extend the scope of extended supervision orders. Instead, their response
was to ?look into? the issue, by referring it to the Sentencing Advisory
Council in May 2006.

In July last year, the Sentencing Advisory Council released a report
opposing the use of continuing detention as an option, but saying if the
government is going to have continuing detention laws, the existing laws
should be extended to murder, manslaughter and attempted murder.

The government responded to the report at the time saying it would apply
to extend the laws, but only to apply to all sex offenders. However, it
has taken the Brumby Government almost 10 months since last July to
finally get this legislation to the Parliament.

This late and limited extension of these important laws further
demonstrates the government?s tardy and inadequate attitude to protecting
the community.
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