Christian Porter (Pearce, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

I now move:

That Senate amendment (2) be disagreed to.

The government will not agree to this amendment and that is on a matter of clear principle. The amendment would remove schedule 6 of the bill, which is the schedule that provides for mandatory minimum sentences for child sex offences that attract the highest penalties and to recidivist child sex offenders who have previously been convicted of a child sex offence. The government has taken the view since the inception of this legislation in 2017 that current sentencing practices for Commonwealth child sex offences are resulting in manifestly inadequate sentences that do not sufficiently recognise the harm suffered by victims or provide for adequate rehabilitation time in custody. The mandatory minimum provisions provided for in schedule 6 are critical and necessary to achieve this bill's overall intent of ensuring sentencing for child sex offences are drawn into line with community expectations.

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