Question Time

Knife Laws

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (14:29): My question is to the Attorney-General regarding knife laws in this state. Does the Attorney-General support the Liberal opposition's summary offences (unlawful selling of knives) amendment bill 2024?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (14:29): I am glad the Liberal Party is supporting the Labor government's legislation. I might just give a bit of context to this.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: I thank the honourable member for what would usually be a government question so that we can talk about how the Liberals are copying what we are doing, but I appreciate that the honourable member has had to think of questions outside her usual sphere and ask about law and order questions. Although it would be more a government question, I am happy to answer it.

Earlier this year, I think at the very end of August, we released a comprehensive discussion paper on the issues of knife crimes in South Australia—very, very comprehensive, more than 100 submissions to this comprehensive discussion paper—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Ms Girolamo, the Hon. Mrs Henderson and the Leader of the Opposition, let's hear the answer.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: —suggesting a wide range of possible reforms in relation to the laws regarding knife possession and its consequences.

Under the Rann government we had the toughest legislation in the country and led the country. We have had a good look at what is happening in other jurisdictions to make sure we retain that mantle in South Australia. As I said, we had more than 100 submissions to our thorough discussion paper, including new suggestions that we are taking into account. I suspect that in the very first week of sitting next year we will have legislation that will include the one tiny bit that the L-plate leadership of the Liberal Party has come up with today.

What the Liberal leadership has suggested—and I accept they are very, very new to their positions. I think the member for Bragg, Jack Batty in the other place, has had a few weeks in the position and the transport minister's young friend Vincent Tarzia, the member for Hartley, has had a month or two as leader, but together they have come up with just one element of what the Labor Party has suggested, and what that is is raising the age to buy knives from 16 to 18, which was part of the reforms we put out for discussion.

I am pleased the Liberal Party have grabbed hold of just one thing that we are going to do. Unfortunately, in their inexperience, they have not included anything else—none of the other reforms that we have suggested. They have one reform: raising the age from 16 to 18. I think in their view a seven year old can't go into a kitchen drawer and get out a knife because that is impossible to do. That in itself will not tackle the problem properly.

That is why in our discussion paper we had a whole range of other measures. They included increased powers for law enforcement to use metal detectors in places like public transport hubs. I suspect that our bill, in our first week of sitting, will include other things, such as shopping centres. That is why it included widening, for the purposes of the aggravated offence, the definition of 'schools'—not just a high school or primary school but a university, a TAFE, a preschool or child care. That is in conjunction with other measures we put in place: expanded declared public precincts in retail areas.

Just this weekend we announced further laws with the support of the industry and with the support of the union representing retail workers to have workplace protection orders so that not just a retail outlet but a shopping centre or indeed an industry association could make an application to the Magistrates Court to ban people who threaten or behave intimidatingly towards retail workers. While we welcome the new inexperienced Liberal leadership team jumping on board with a tiny element of our reforms, it is just not good enough. They have let down everyone.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: Who knows, they may in the future get a bit more experience and look to do things more comprehensively, but they are showing no signs of it.