Liberty Victoria supports the Supreme Court’s objective of minimising delay in the criminal justice system, particularly in the period between charge and the listing of trial.
However, Liberty’s view is that the Supreme Court’s current proposal will not be effective in reducing delays and may jeopardise the accused’s right to a fair trial.
Submitted by Liberty Victoria on Tue, 06/06/2017 - 15:46
Giving greater powers to Protection Service Officers is unnecessary, inappropriate and potentially harmful, Liberty Victoria warned today.
The president of the human rights group, Jessie Taylor, added, “This is particularly so where there is little evidence as to the effectiveness of Protection Service Officers (PSOs) in fulfilling their functions and insufficient data to assess whether or not they have any impact at all upon crime rates.”
Liberty Victoria is opposed to the proposed expansion of the powers of Protection Services Officers (PSOs) through the measures set out in the Justice Legislation Amendment (Protective Services Officers and Other Matters) Bill 2017.
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, 05/24/2017 - 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.
