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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-10-27 Daily Xml
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LAW AND ORDER ISSUES POSTCARD

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg) (15:10): Is the Attorney-General aware of section 85N of the Crimes Act 1914? It provides:

A person shall not intentionally cause an article in the course of post to be delivered to, or received by, a person other than the person to whom it is directed or that person's authorised agent. Penalty: Imprisonment for 1 year.

The Hon. M.J. ATKINSON (Croydon—Attorney-General, Minister for Justice, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Veterans' Affairs) (15:10): Back in the 1990s I caused to be distributed a DL postcard-style leaflet calling on the Liberal government to support my private member's bill to abolish the drunk's defence. I think members opposite will recall that—

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. M.J. ATKINSON: Indeed. I also caused to be printed a DL calling upon the then Liberal government to change its position on an extended right to self-defence of householders in their own home in the aftermath of a case in my electorate of Mr Geisler, members will recall. Indeed, the DLs were in the form of calling upon Trevor Griffin, the attorney-general of blessed memory, to change his stand on these things. I think there might have been only about 11 of us in the house at the time—the Tarago parliamentary Labor Party. To try to make these DLs have a greater impact I recall going out driving with the now member for West Torrens letterboxing them—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. M.J. ATKINSON: —I don't drive—in streets in the metropolitan area containing a Liberal MP. So, most of you had your street letterboxed to give the impression we had letterboxed the entire metropolitan Adelaide. Now, we got many thousands of responses to that DL. We know that the current DL is hurting the parliamentary Liberal Party. That is why these questions are being asked. We feel your pain.

The fact of the matter is that in this chamber—and it is on the Hansard record—in the committee stage of the bill on young offenders, the parliamentary Liberal Party took the position that we could not use the expression 'recidivist youth offenders' in the bill, because that would stigmatise members of the Gang of 49 and others. Apparently, calling them 'little turds, shits and wankers' doesn't stigmatise them.

Mr GRIFFITHS: Point of order. It is a standard question to the Attorney-General. It is a matter of relevance to a specific question that was asked. His comments have no issue with it.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The problem was that the question was not specific. The Attorney-General.

The Hon. M.J. ATKINSON: I know that when the member for Bragg says her bedtime prayers in the evening, she says, 'I give thanks, Oh Lord, that I am not as others who stigmatise young offenders.' It is on the parliamentary record that the parliamentary Liberal Party wants to oppose this bill unless the government drops its—

Ms CHAPMAN: Point of order. The bill that is being referred to is currently before the house, and, therefore, ought not be referred to. My question was: is the Attorney-General aware of a certain section of the Crimes Act? It has nothing to do with what he is talking about.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

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