Archer’s tough sell on sentencing laws

NEW Attorney-General Elise Archer faces an uphill battle with a renewed attempt to convince Labor and Upper House independents to pass mandatory sentencing laws for childsex offenders.

The re-elected Hodgman Government will reintroduce legislation that would impose a prison sentence on those convicted of serious sexual offences against children.

A similar Bill was thrown out by the Legislative Council last year, and Ms Archer said yesterday she was ready to listen to Upper House members’ concerns.

Premier Will Hodgman has already signalled a new approach to the Government’s relationship with the Upper House, which is made up of 10 independents, four Labor representatives and one Liberal.

“What I want to do is work with them and, should they have reasonable changes they want to make to our legislative reform agenda, then I’m all ears,” Ms Archer said.

The Attorney-General is arranging meetings with MLCs but said she expected members to have listened to their electorates on the issue.

“There was significant public outcry,” Ms Archer said.

“A lot of people could not understand why that would be blocked in the Upper House the way it was, certainly by Labor.”

But Labor and several MLCs who voted against the last Bill continue to express doubts about the principle and effectiveness of mandatory sentencing.

Opposition attorney-general Ella Haddad said Labor was willing to work with Ms Archer, but the Sentencing Advisory Council had recommended against the reform.

“As long as the Liberals continue to recycle this failed legislation to drum up fear for political purposes it will be difficult to find common ground,” Ms Haddad said.

Independent MLCs say they will listen to Ms Archer but remain concerned the move would threaten the sep- aration of powers.

“It limits the discretion of the judiciary in making judgments on the weight of the evidence,” Member of Hobart Rob Valentine said.

Fellow independent Ruth Forrest said the Government would need to produce evidence backing the change.

“We need to let the court decide what the appropriate length of their term should be and any other penalty that should be applied,” she said.

The State Government hopes to introduce a range of law and order reforms, including a presumption against bail in high-risk cases, dangerous criminal declaration changes and abolishing release by remission. The Government has pledged a new 270-bed prison in the state’s North and a remand centre on the Risdon site.