Mark Dreyfus (Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Attorney General) Share this | Hansard source

There's a lot that this bill gets right. Labor will always work with MPs and senators from all sides to strengthen our laws to protect our children. Nothing should get in the way of this objective. There is nothing more sickening than child sexual abuse. 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.

I thank the government for agreeing to Labor's suggestion that there be a statutory review of Commonwealth sentencing practice in relation to child sexual abuse matters. That's what this first amendment deals with. That review is to commence within three years and to be completed within four. It will provide an opportunity to review the practice, the working, of the current settings of sentencing in this child sexual abuse area.

I would add that from the very beginning Labor have said that whether our amendments succeeded or failed in the Senate we would support this bill. That is what Labor did in the Senate last night—Labor supported this bill. The government has signalled that it will delay the passage of this bill indefinitely if Labor insist on our amendment to remove minimum sentencing from this bill. That's disappointing. The government has already delayed the passage of this bill for some eight months. Unlike the government, Labor will not allow the passage of this bill to be further delayed. For that reason, while we maintain our opposition to mandatory sentencing—because it does not work and makes it harder to catch, prosecute and convict criminals—we will not insist on our amendments relating to mandatory sentencing when the bill returns to the Senate. Protecting the welfare of children will always be Labor's overriding priority and concern.

Question agreed to.

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