Townsville policeman on panel

LAURIE Bateman, a police recruit at the Townsville Police Academy, is part of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Panel for the Queensland Sentencing Advisory Council.

Attorney- General Justice Minister Yvette D’Ath said the eight- person panel would provide advice to QSAC to help address the over- representation of indigenous people in Queensland’s criminal justice system.

“The council will now be able to give a stronger voice to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in regards to how sentencing operates, along with a better sense of how indigenous communities are affected by current responses, and insight into what changes might be made to improve outcomes,” she said. “Since it was re- established in 2016, QSAC has played a significant role in explaining, and increasing public confidence in, the complex area of sentencing.”