Member for Northern Tablelands Brendan Moylan has backed the latest commitment from the NSW Nationals and Liberals cracking down on criminals and making communities safer by introducing new Adult Crime, Adult Time laws within the first 100 days of Government.
The MP said the level of crime across NSW with young people increasingly at the centre is alarming, with them being recruited to carry out gangland hits, committing violent crimes and breaking into people’s homes.
The NSW Nationals and Liberals have repeatedly put forward stronger laws, which include Anytime, Anywhere Knife Wanding laws and tougher penalties for those who recruit children to commit crimes, only to have them voted down by the Government.
“Under our plan victims would be put first and serious youth offenders will face real consequences for their crimes,” Mr Moylan said.
“The face of crime has changed, we now have a situation where innocent members of the public are no longer off limits, and sentences need to represent that and community expectation around that.
“The Nationals and Liberals will tackle crime from all sides, intervening early, deterring offending, and throwing the weight of the law at those who commit crimes to keep NSW communities safe.
“Young people who commit serious crimes should face serious consequences, but we also want to be doing all we can to ensure young people don’t commit those crimes to begin with.”
Under these reforms, the list of serious children’s indictable offences would be expanded, meaning maximum adult sentences would apply to additional serious crimes.
The offences would be backed by guideline sentencing and new sentencing principles to ensure detention is not treated as a last resort, especially where that applies to multiple sentences, and greater weighting will be given to victim impact rather than the age of the offender.
“We will also double funding for the Community Safety Investment Fund to $10 million and fund expanded diversion, school suspension and post-detention rehabilitation programs to put young people back on the right track,” Mr Moylan said.
NSW Nationals Leader Gurmesh Singh said regional NSW is dealing with a youth crime crisis and is sick of waiting for Labor to get tough on the issue.
“Families, business owners and older Australians across our regions have had enough of living with violent crime and kids running riot,” Mr Singh said.
“We won’t be afraid to throw the book at serious youth offenders to ensure they face consequences for their actions.”
BACKGROUND:
The NSW Nationals and Liberals’ Adult Crime, Adult Time laws will expand the list of Serious Children’s Indictable Offences which must be tried in the District Court to include:
• Reckless grievous bodily harm – in company (Max 14 years)
• Aggravated robbery (Max penalty 20 years)
• Armed Robbery – in company (Max penalty 20 years)
• Firing a gun at a house or motor vehicle offences (Max penalty 14-16 years)
• Destroy or damage property by fire or explosives offences (Max penalty 10-12 years)
• Destroy or damage property by fire or explosive with intent to cause injury offences (Max penalty 14-16 years)
• Aggravated Carjacking (Max Penalty 14 years)
• Carjacking (Max penalty 10 years)
• Dangerous driving occasioning death/grievous bodily harm offences (Max penalty 7-14 years)
• Aggravated Break and enter & commit serious indictable offence (Max penalty 20 years)
• Break and enter & commit serious indictable offence (Max penalty 14 years)
The NSW Nationals and Liberals will also increase investment in youth diversionary programs and rehabilitation programs to help kids at risk of offending and reducing youths who reoffend:
• Double the funding of the Community Safety Investment fund to $10 million, which supports community organisations to tackle youth crime, strengthen families and improve safety.
• Provide funding for the expansion of the Alternative Suspension program, which improves student behaviour and reduces the number of repeat school suspensions.
• Develop a new program to accompany our Adult Crime, Adult Time laws that will provide intensive reintegration and rehabilitation post detention modelled on Queensland’s, Staying on Track program.
Adult Crime, Adult Time laws forms part of the NSW Nationals and Liberals plan for safer streets and stronger communities, which includes:
• Creating new offences of using a violence broker or acting as violence broker with a maximum penalty of 16 years or 20 years if a child is involved.
• Doubling the funding to the NSW Crime Commission to allow it to identify more participants in organised crime and confiscate their unexplained wealth.
• Extending unexplained wealth orders so they apply to anyone reasonably suspected of acting as or using a violence broker.
• Reforms to give NSW police the power to conduct Anytime, Anywhere Knife Wanding searches in any public place.
• Proposed laws to protect children from extremist grooming and radicalisation.