Liberty Victoria made a comprehensive submission in June 2017 (see below) on why the Sentencing Amendment (Sentencing Standards) Bill 2017 (Vic) is unnecessary and threatens to undermine the separation of powers. Unfortunately it appears that it will obtain bipartisan support.
As made clear in our submission to the Bail Review, Liberty Victoria is opposed to the State Government’s proposal to reverse the presumption of bail in a wide number of offences in the Bail Amendment (Stage One) Bill 2017 (‘the Bill’).
Liberty Victoria had the opportunity to consider the detailed submission by Victoria Legal Aid (‘VLA’) and we respectfully endorse it and its recommendations.
We also make the following brief observations on overarching principles that can be applied to all Acts that contain provisions that restrict or prohibit publication:
Submitted by Liberty Victoria on Wed, 24/05/2017 - 14:10
The Victorian Government’s new law and order moves smack of desperation and will make the community less safe, not more, Liberty Victoria said today.
Commenting on today’s announcement Liberty president Jessie Taylor said, “This comes from an ALP Government that doesn't want to be wedged on law and order coming into next year's election.”
Of course the Coalition will just push more and more extreme policies to look "tougher" than the Government.
Liberty Victoria welcomes the opportunity to contribute to this timely inquiry. Clear evidence from other jurisdictions, the medical profession and respected human rights organisations demonstrates that drug reform is a health and human rights issue that demands immediate attention. We believe that now is the time for a paradigm shift Victoria.
The introduction of laws to govern how convictions are removed from a criminal record is a simple and straightforward reform. All other jurisdictions in Australia have laws that provide for the removal of certain less serious convictions from the records of past offenders who have not gone on to reoffend. This goes to the heart of our criminal justice system. Offenders should be punished appropriately but they should also be given the opportunity to actively contribute to society once that punishment has been delivered.
Submitted by Rights Advocacy... on Tue, 16/05/2017 - 09:06
Liberty Victoria’s Rights Advocacy Project has launched a report on the unfair rules around disclosure of old criminal convictions in Victoria. The report 'A Legislated Spent Convictions Scheme for Victoria: Recommendations for Reform' was launched at a Law Week event this week, where academics, lawyers and politicians discuss how we can change the rules to keep the whole community safer, and give people the second chance they deserve.
Submitted by Rights Advocacy... on Thu, 04/05/2017 - 11:32
Liberty Victoria’s Rights Advocacy Project (‘RAP’) today released a new report revealing the dramatic rise in the personal discretions and legal powers of the Immigration Minister.
One of the report’s authors, Lauren Bull, said that RAP’s investigations had found that despite previous Immigration Ministers warning that the Minister already held too much unchecked personal discretion, there was an alarming trend towards further expanding the Minister’s personal powers and removing checks and balances.
