❓ Mr. McRae questions the Attorney General about the potential effects of a policy advocated by the member for Kalgoorlie, which would limit public awareness of individuals charged with serious criminal offenses. The Attorney General strongly opposes the idea, arguing it would undermine public confidence and hinder law enforcement.
AnsweredQoN 19Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
PEOPLE CHARGED WITH SERIOUS CRIMINAL OFFENCES - PUBLIC AWARENESS
Yesterday the member for Kalgoorlie advocated protecting criminals by keeping the community in the dark about people charged with serious criminal offences. Can the Attorney General inform the house of the effect that this policy would have on the justice system in Western Australia? Mr J.A. McGINTY
Yesterday the member for Kalgoorlie advocated protecting criminals by keeping the community in the dark about people charged with serious criminal offences. Can the Attorney General inform the house of the effect that this policy would have on the justice system in Western Australia? Mr J.A. McGINTY
AnswerView source ↗
This would have to be possibly the loopiest proposition we have heard from the member for Kalgoorlie since he came into this Parliament. It is second only to his reckoning that the Pope had a partner. Let me tell the house that it would turn the criminal justice system on its head if the idea that has been advocated by the Leader of the Opposition - that is, that we all be kept in the dark and that there be no mention of the names of criminals when they are charged by the police - were to become the policy in this state. Secrecy would endanger public confidence in the administration of justice and the very good work that is done by the WA Police. It would sap public confidence if the police were not able to inform the public of the work they were doing. It would sap public confidence if the police were not able to ask the public for its support and assistance in tracking down dangerous criminals in this state. Jack van Tongeren is currently on the run. We could say that a person of interest is currently on the run. That would be of great interest to the Chinese community and to me. That illustrates, in my view, the difficulty with this proposition. We would effectively shut down court reporting in the criminal courts in this state if the person whom the police had charged with a criminal offence could not be identified. I fail to see for one minute how ignorance, which is what the public would be left with in the absence of any information, can in any sense enhance our criminal justice system. Any person who spent one nanosecond thinking about this issue would realise what a stupid proposition it is.
Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: This would have to be possibly the loopiest proposition we have heard from the member for Kalgoorlie since he came into this Parliament. It is second only to his reckoning that the Pope had a partner. Let me tell the house that it would turn the criminal justice system on its head if the idea that has been advocated by the Leader of the Opposition - that is, that we all be kept in the dark and that there be no mention of the names of criminals when they are charged by the police - were to become the policy in this state. Secrecy would endanger public confidence in the administration of justice and the very good work that is done by the WA Police. It would sap public confidence if the police were not able to inform the public of the work they were doing. It would sap public confidence if the police were not able to ask the public for its support and assistance in tracking down dangerous criminals in this state. Jack van Tongeren is currently on the run. We could say that a person of interest is currently on the run. That would be of great interest to the Chinese community and to me. That illustrates, in my view, the difficulty with this proposition. We would effectively shut down court reporting in the criminal courts in this state if the person whom the police had charged with a criminal offence could not be identified. I fail to see for one minute how ignorance, which is what the public would be left with in the absence of any information, can in any sense enhance our criminal justice system. Any person who spent one nanosecond thinking about this issue would realise what a stupid proposition it is.
This would have to be possibly the loopiest proposition we have heard from the member for Kalgoorlie since he came into this Parliament. It is second only to his reckoning that the Pope had a partner. Let me tell the house that it would turn the criminal justice system on its head if the idea that has been advocated by the Leader of the Opposition - that is, that we all be kept in the dark and that there be no mention of the names of criminals when they are charged by the police - were to become the policy in this state. Secrecy would endanger public confidence in the administration of justice and the very good work that is done by the WA Police. It would sap public confidence if the police were not able to inform the public of the work they were doing. It would sap public confidence if the police were not able to ask the public for its support and assistance in tracking down dangerous criminals in this state. Jack van Tongeren is currently on the run. We could say that a person of interest is currently on the run. That would be of great interest to the Chinese community and to me. That illustrates, in my view, the difficulty with this proposition. We would effectively shut down court reporting in the criminal courts in this state if the person whom the police had charged with a criminal offence could not be identified. I fail to see for one minute how ignorance, which is what the public would be left with in the absence of any information, can in any sense enhance our criminal justice system. Any person who spent one nanosecond thinking about this issue would realise what a stupid proposition it is.
Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: This would have to be possibly the loopiest proposition we have heard from the member for Kalgoorlie since he came into this Parliament. It is second only to his reckoning that the Pope had a partner. Let me tell the house that it would turn the criminal justice system on its head if the idea that has been advocated by the Leader of the Opposition - that is, that we all be kept in the dark and that there be no mention of the names of criminals when they are charged by the police - were to become the policy in this state. Secrecy would endanger public confidence in the administration of justice and the very good work that is done by the WA Police. It would sap public confidence if the police were not able to inform the public of the work they were doing. It would sap public confidence if the police were not able to ask the public for its support and assistance in tracking down dangerous criminals in this state. Jack van Tongeren is currently on the run. We could say that a person of interest is currently on the run. That would be of great interest to the Chinese community and to me. That illustrates, in my view, the difficulty with this proposition. We would effectively shut down court reporting in the criminal courts in this state if the person whom the police had charged with a criminal offence could not be identified. I fail to see for one minute how ignorance, which is what the public would be left with in the absence of any information, can in any sense enhance our criminal justice system. Any person who spent one nanosecond thinking about this issue would realise what a stupid proposition it is.
This would have to be possibly the loopiest proposition we have heard from the member for Kalgoorlie since he came into this Parliament. It is second only to his reckoning that the Pope had a partner. Let me tell the house that it would turn the criminal justice system on its head if the idea that has been advocated by the Leader of the Opposition - that is, that we all be kept in the dark and that there be no mention of the names of criminals when they are charged by the police - were to become the policy in this state. Secrecy would endanger public confidence in the administration of justice and the very good work that is done by the WA Police. It would sap public confidence if the police were not able to inform the public of the work they were doing. It would sap public confidence if the police were not able to ask the public for its support and assistance in tracking down dangerous criminals in this state. Jack van Tongeren is currently on the run. We could say that a person of interest is currently on the run. That would be of great interest to the Chinese community and to me. That illustrates, in my view, the difficulty with this proposition. We would effectively shut down court reporting in the criminal courts in this state if the person whom the police had charged with a criminal offence could not be identified. I fail to see for one minute how ignorance, which is what the public would be left with in the absence of any information, can in any sense enhance our criminal justice system. Any person who spent one nanosecond thinking about this issue would realise what a stupid proposition it is.
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