❓ Mr. Papalia questions the government's refusal to legislate against the use of GPS tracking as a factor in releasing dangerous sex offenders. The Minister responds that GPS tracking was never intended to influence judicial decisions, and a review of the relevant Act is underway.
AnsweredQoN 701Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
DANGEROUS
SEX OFFENDERS
701. Mr P. PAPALIA to the Minister for
Corrective Services:
I have a supplementary question. Why
will the government not legislate to stop the courts using GPS tracking as a
consideration when they are determining whether to release dangerous sex
offenders?
SEX OFFENDERS
701. Mr P. PAPALIA to the Minister for
Corrective Services:
I have a supplementary question. Why
will the government not legislate to stop the courts using GPS tracking as a
consideration when they are determining whether to release dangerous sex
offenders?
AnswerView source ↗
We made it perfectly clear when we
turned on the GPS system that it was not something that could or should be
considered by a judge of the Supreme Court when determining whether someone
should be released.
Mr
P. Papalia : No, you didn't! He said it would result in —
The
SPEAKER : Member for Warnbro!
Mr
J.M. FRANCIS : If the member can go back through the remarks made by every
single judge of the Supreme Court who has released a dangerous sex offender and
find a single line on any one of those —
Mr
P. Papalia interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Warnbro, can you let the minister answer the question.
I call you to order for the first time.
Mr
J.M. FRANCIS : The bottom line is that not a single dangerous sex offender
has been released because we have brought in GPS tracking. Amanda Banks
realised this; she got it right, and she put the boot into the member for
Warnbro. He is so far starboard to track on this —
Mr
P. Papalia : So why won't you legislate?
Mr
J.M. FRANCIS : Where we are at right now is that the Attorney General has
done a review of the Dangerous Sexual Offenders Act and he is looking at these
things, and this is something that is being considered.
Mr
P. Papalia interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Warnbro!
Mr
J.M. FRANCIS : That may well be part of what he is going to look at doing; I
am not going to foreshadow that, but the bottom line is that the decision to
release them is made independently of government, under the Dangerous Sexual
Offenders Act, by judges of the Supreme Court.
turned on the GPS system that it was not something that could or should be
considered by a judge of the Supreme Court when determining whether someone
should be released.
Mr
P. Papalia : No, you didn't! He said it would result in —
The
SPEAKER : Member for Warnbro!
Mr
J.M. FRANCIS : If the member can go back through the remarks made by every
single judge of the Supreme Court who has released a dangerous sex offender and
find a single line on any one of those —
Mr
P. Papalia interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Warnbro, can you let the minister answer the question.
I call you to order for the first time.
Mr
J.M. FRANCIS : The bottom line is that not a single dangerous sex offender
has been released because we have brought in GPS tracking. Amanda Banks
realised this; she got it right, and she put the boot into the member for
Warnbro. He is so far starboard to track on this —
Mr
P. Papalia : So why won't you legislate?
Mr
J.M. FRANCIS : Where we are at right now is that the Attorney General has
done a review of the Dangerous Sexual Offenders Act and he is looking at these
things, and this is something that is being considered.
Mr
P. Papalia interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Warnbro!
Mr
J.M. FRANCIS : That may well be part of what he is going to look at doing; I
am not going to foreshadow that, but the bottom line is that the decision to
release them is made independently of government, under the Dangerous Sexual
Offenders Act, by judges of the Supreme Court.
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