John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak in support of the Social Services Legislation Amendment Bill 2015. Senator Siewert was just saying that these people were not charged with a serious crime. I do not know whether that is the situation but, on the issues of psychiatric confinement raised in the Senate inquiry, the department said:

The proposed amendment to the social security law will only capture those persons who have been charged with a serious offence.

So, yes, they will have been charged with a serious offence, in contrast to what Senator Siewert just said. The amendments define a 'serious offence' as a murder or attempted murder—