Mr. Porter questions the Attorney General regarding Magistrate Vose's comments on the lack of supervision of community-based orders. The Attorney General acknowledges the comments and agrees that penalties should be enforced.

AnsweredQoN 192Legislative Assembly
Asked
10 April 2008
Portfolio
Attorney General

QuestionView source ↗

COMMUNITY-BASED ORDERS — SUPERVISION
I refer the Attorney General to a report in The West Australian today that Magistrate Vose said, when referring to the absence in this state of real supervision of community-based orders, that non-custodial penalties handed down in the Children’s Court “boiled down to absolutely nothing”. Magistrate Vose further said that in one instance this meant that a 16-year-old offender would — receive a tick-a-box order so he can walk away from doing a ram raid thinking ‘that’s cool, the court put me on an order but I don’t have to do anything’. Will the Attorney General acknowledge that any justice system that does not properly supervise community orders is a system that completely fails to punish a range of offenders, including serious offenders; and that this situation is completely unacceptable? The SPEAKER : It is not within the Attorney General’s province to answer the parts of the question that ask for an opinion. Where facts have been asked for, the Attorney General may respond. Mr J.A. McGINTY

AnswerView source ↗

I read the comments attributed to Magistrate Vose in this morning’s newspaper. I have not had the opportunity to discuss the matter with him. I agree with the member for Murdoch’s broad proposition that penalties handed down by the court, be they in the nature of a term of imprisonment, fine or community service order, should be enforced.
The SPEAKER : It is not within the Attorney General’s province to answer the parts of the question that ask for an opinion. Where facts have been asked for, the Attorney General may respond. Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: I read the comments attributed to Magistrate Vose in this morning’s newspaper. I have not had the opportunity to discuss the matter with him. I agree with the member for Murdoch’s broad proposition that penalties handed down by the court, be they in the nature of a term of imprisonment, fine or community service order, should be enforced.
Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: I read the comments attributed to Magistrate Vose in this morning’s newspaper. I have not had the opportunity to discuss the matter with him. I agree with the member for Murdoch’s broad proposition that penalties handed down by the court, be they in the nature of a term of imprisonment, fine or community service order, should be enforced.
I read the comments attributed to Magistrate Vose in this morning’s newspaper. I have not had the opportunity to discuss the matter with him. I agree with the member for Murdoch’s broad proposition that penalties handed down by the court, be they in the nature of a term of imprisonment, fine or community service order, should be enforced.

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