The Labor party has been accused of putting ‘paedophiles before kids’ after blocking a law which would impose mandatory long prison sentences upon child sex offenders.
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton made the scathing assessment of the Opposition and its leader Anthony Albanese on Monday night after they used a procedural tactic in the Senate to vote down the proposed new child protection laws.
‘It is one of the worst acts I have seen in my 20 years in parliament,’ Mr Dutton said.
‘Anthony Albanese needs to look parents in the eye and explain his betrayal of them. Labor has backed paedophiles over Australian kids.’
Last week, Mr Albanese vowed to assist in ‘any way possible’ to ‘stamp out’ child sex abuse, but was vocal in his disagreement with the mandatory minimum sentencing clause.
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton criticised Labor for refusing to back mandatory minimum sentencing (pictured speaking in Parliament on June 15)
He gained the support of the Greens, Centre Alliance and Tasmanian independent Jacqui Lambie in blocking the policy, which would have put all convicted child sex offenders away for at least five to seven years.
Labor let the bill pass through the lower house but immediately announced it would be challenging parts of the proposal in the Senate.
‘Mandatory sentencing is wrong in principle, does nothing to reduce or deter crime and, worst of all, it has adverse consequences,’ Labor Senator Murray Watt said.
He argued that while the prospect ‘sounds tough’ it would only make it more difficult to catch, prosecute and convict child sex offenders.
The bill demands repeat offenders be handed prison sentences, while a maximum penalty of life behind bars would be expected for the most serious offenders
‘There is nothing tough about measures that do nothing to reduce crime or criminality. And there is nothing tough about sentencing measures that could, in some cases, result in unjust sentences being handed out to 18 or 19-year-olds,’ he said.
‘Children are the most precious and vulnerable members of our community and Labor will always support strong and effective laws to protect children from abuse and to punish their abusers.’
Law Council president Pauline Wright said mandatory sentencing was dangerous, as juries might hand down ‘not guilty’ verdicts rather than see teenagers locked up for years for low-end offences.
‘Mandatory minimum sentences impose unacceptable restrictions on judicial discretion and independence, are inconsistent with rule-of-law principles and undermine confidence in the system of justice,’ she said.
Anthony Albanese (pictured on June 15) vowed to assist in ‘any way possible’ to ‘stamp out’ child sex abuse, but was vocal in his disagreement with the mandatory minimum sentencing clause
The Law Council also believes mandatory sentencing is inconsistent with Australia’s international human rights obligations.
Attorney-General Christian Porter said Labor’s move was disappointing, considering last year 39 per cent of those found guilty of child-sex offences did not spend a day in jail.
Mr Porter said the government remained ‘totally committed’ to the reform and would return the bill to the Senate, with mandatory sentencing included in it.
The bill demands repeat offenders all be handed prison sentences, while a maximum penalty of life behind bars would be expected for the most serious offenders.
It also pledges to make it harder for offenders to be granted bail.
‘Sentences need to reflect community expectations and act as a significant deterrent to others, which is why these sorts of despicable crimes must result in significant penalties, not simply a slap on the wrist which is often the case,’ Mr Dutton said when it was first proposed.
Attorney-General Christian Porter said Labor’s move was disappointing, considering last year 39 per cent of convicted child-sex offenders did not spend a day in jail
Mr Dutton’s comments came just hours after a former Labor state minister who served 11 years in prison for child sex crimes was charged with 15 new offences.
Milton Orkopoulos, who served in New South Wales parliament from 1999 to 2006, was formally charged at Silverwater jail on Monday morning.
Detectives from Lake Macquarie will allege Orkopoulos, 62, sexually assaulted two young boys who were known to him in the 1990s.
Orkopoulos was charged with 15 offences in total, including five counts of aggravated sexual assault of a victim under 16 and five counts of aggravated indecent assault of victims under 16.
Three other charges relate to forcing a child under 14 to participate in prostitution.
In 2019, Orkopoulos walked free from prison on parole after spending 11 years behind bars for a string of charges relating to child abuse in 2008.