I thought I had seen it all. Every day I turned on the television during the summer I saw the Leader of the Opposition demanding tougher sentences. Every day I turned on the radio I heard the Leader of the Opposition saying that the Government was too soft on violent criminals. In every newspaper I read over the summer the Leader of the Opposition was reported as demanding tougher sentences. As recently as a month ago, I heard him say on Ray Hadley's radio show that he supported mandatory sentences. True to form, when the rubber hits the road, Labor members are all spin and no substance. The Leader of the Opposition has more positions on mandatory sentencing than there are positions in the Kama Sutra.
It is clear that the Government has reflected community expectations in responding to the appalling criminal act committed over the summer break when a young man in the prime of his life was knocked down in a violent, gratuitous assault. The community wants the courts to send the toughest possible message to thugs that if they commit a violent crime such as assault they will be dealt with appropriately. The response of Labor members to that community outcry was that they did not care. Today Opposition members are seeking to water down the toughest legislation that has ever been passed in this State. They claim to want to get tough on criminals and thugs, but when they have the opportunity to do so they squib out of it. The Leader of the Opposition has taken his cue straight out of the Bob Carr playbook—talking tough, playing soft. Members opposite want action but do nothing. It is a disgrace. Let there be no doubt in the minds of those who are listening to this speech or reading Hansard, and who are looking to see the differences between the Government and the Opposition, that the Government will stand shoulder to shoulder with the law-abiding citizens of this State. It will stand up for the victims of crime and it will stand by the families who have buried their loved ones as a result of these violent criminal acts.
The Labor Party's default position is to support the thugs and the criminals. Members opposite sat with criminals in Cabinet and now they are supporting criminals on our streets. It is disgraceful. The contrast could not be more stark. Labor is determined to run a protection racket for criminals and thugs in this State. It is not good enough that it does it alone, but, true to form, it has jumped into bed with The Greens. While Labor is for the thugs, The Greens are for the drugs. We have witnessed a sweetheart deal. It is not enough for them to trash the economy by imposing taxes, they have again got into bed together to undermine the toughest possible measures dealing with violent criminals in this State.
Let us be clear about the impact of the Opposition's proposed amendments. Members opposite say that 18- to 21-year-olds who violently assault an individual should be exempt from the mandatory minimum sentence provisions of the Crimes Amendment (Intoxication) Bill 2014. Will they suggest that 18- to 21-year-olds should be exempt from voting, driving a car, or serving in our defence forces? They are not saying that, but they are trying to create a special exemption for people such as Kieran Loveridge, who was 19 years old when he assaulted Thomas Kelly. It is not acceptable. No-one believes that age should be a mitigating factor when someone commits a violent crime or causes grievous bodily harm that has devastating results. I have seen the impact of these assaults. I was with the Christie family when they experienced the horrible ordeal that no member of any community should have to experience. I saw their anguish.
We need to send a message that violent crime is unacceptable and un-Australian. The distinction between the Government and the Opposition could not be more stark. While the Government stands shoulder to shoulder with the law-abiding citizens of this State, the Labor Party is in bed with The Greens and wants to run a protection racket for the thugs and criminals in this State. The Labor Party protected criminals when it was in office and it is continuing to do so now that it is in opposition. I stand with the Premier and the Government in supporting the toughest measures possible to crack down on violent criminals in this State. I urge all members of the Legislative Council who support the law-abiding citizens of this State to stand up and be counted for those in most need. I commend the bill to the House.
