David Pocock says no total gambling ad ban would be ‘complete betrayal’ of Peta Murphy’s legacy
Independent ACT senator David Pocock says if the government does not introduce a total ban to gambling advertising (phased in over three years as recommended by the Murphy review) it would be “a complete betrayal of Peta Murphy and her legacy”:
It’s a betrayal of Australians.
80% of Australians want this, and we have a government that doesn’t have the guts to actually stand up to the gambling industry, doesn’t have the imagination to actually work with TV to find a way to ensure that they are viable.
Pocock said Labor’s attitude towards the gambling ban was “summed up by reports this morning that a Labor backbencher, on the condition of anonymity, said that “sometimes you have to be brave”:
Just think about that – you’re anonymously saying that you need to be brave.
I thank Mike Freelander and [Dunkley MP] Jodie Belyea from Labor, Keith Wolahan, from the Libs. [Nationals MP] Pat Conaghan, they’re all speaking up. They know this is the right thing to do. We’ve seen former prime ministers come out, but where is the courage from this Labor government?
Key events
Benita Kolovos
Allan says decision to walk back raise the age commitment wasn’t made under her leadership
On the decision to walk back from the commitment to raise the age to 14, Victorian premier Jacinta Allan said the decision wasn’t made under her leadership.
… The bill that is before … the legislative council this week raises the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 12. We are the first state jurisdiction in the country to make this change. Twelve is where it will stay.
And in terms of last year to this year, the decision had been made at a different time by a different government with a different premier. The decision has been made by the government to keep the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 12, to maintain a focus too on the child.
That is what the youth justice bill reforms are about, keeping a focus on the child, strengthening where we need to around that high- risk serious offending, but also too looking at how we can divert young people away from a life of crime.
Benita Kolovos
Victorian police commissioner welcomes shelving of plan to raise age of criminal responsibility to 14
Just circling back to the Victorian press conference, after the state government announced it was walking back its commitment to raise the age of criminal responsibility. The police commissioner, Shane Patton, said he welcomes the changes, and told reporters:
I would forecast that we would see more people being remanded, a harder approach on those hig-end offenders, as the attorney has said, those who are committing aggravated burglaries, those young people who are driving up the freeway at high speeds, they’re the ones we’re targeting. They’re the ones that we see these laws will impact on, and I would think that we will see more people being remanded for those offences until we can address the root causes of why they’re committing those offences.
We will work with government and continue to do so, but as I say, from our point of view, we welcome these amendments.
Daniel Hurst
Australian Submarine Agency says Aukus nuclear risk arrangement ‘consistent’ with country’s aims
The Australian Submarine Agency has defended the federal government’s agreement to shoulder responsibility for nuclear risks as part of the Aukus pact with the US and the UK.
Under a new treaty document tabled in parliament yesterday, Australia will indemnify the US and the UK “against any liability, loss, costs, damage or injury” arising from nuclear risks “connected with the design, manufacture, assembly, transfer, or utilisation” of any of the material and equipment.
An ASA spokesperson told Guardian Australia last night that the arrangement was “consistent with Australia’s commitment to being a sovereign and responsible steward of naval nuclear propulsion technology that will ultimately be owned and operated by Australia”. They said:
The indemnity reflects the activities that the UK and the US will undertake on Australia’s behalf under the Aukus partnership, including the US building a new Virginia-class submarine and the UK manufacturing naval nuclear propulsion plants for the SSN-Aukus.
The spokesperson said the indemnity was “limited by appropriate exclusions”, including that it “does not apply where the UK or the US have received payment for the same liability from a third party”.
They said the UK and the US naval nuclear propulsion programs had “unmatched safety records” and therefore “the likelihood of the indemnity being called upon is remote”. For more details about the new Aukus treaty, see this story:
To learn more about Victoria walking back its commitment to raise the age of criminal responsibility, our Benita Kolovos is all across it here:
Benita Kolovos
Premier says reforms will mean ‘stronger consequences’ for repeat offenders
Jacinta Allan says the amendments will mean “stronger consequences” for youth offenders accused of repeat, serious crimes. She says:
These reforms deliver action at both ends of the spectrum, taking that whole of justice system response, helping kids get back on track and ensuring repeat offenders face serious consequences. I look forward to working with our parliament this week … to pass these changes as a matter of urgency, because every serious offender should feel serious consequences.
And every Victorian should feel safe.
Benita Kolovos
Victorian Labor to drop pledge to raise age of criminal responsibility to 14 amid host of youth justice reforms
The Victorian premier (Jacinta Allan), attorney general (Jaclyn Symes), police minister (Anthony Carbines), youth justice minister (Enver Erdogan) and police commissioner (Shane Patton) are set to begin a press conference on youth crime.
As we reported earlier, the government will be announcing it is walking away from its commitment to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 14 by 2027. They are also announcing a suite of changes to their youth justice bill, which is being debated in the upper house this week.
They include:
-
Amending the Bail Act to make it explicit to bail-decision-makers that if there’s an “unacceptable risk” that a person could commit a serious crime if released that’s a “clear reason to refuse bail”.
-
The Bail Act will also be amended to specifically call out aggravated home invasion, burglary, car jacking, dangerous driving and family violence as examples of “unacceptable risk”.
-
Amending the Bail Act to clarify the ability of police to apply for bail to be revoked when people have committed further offences while on bail.
-
The creation of a new seperate offence of committing a serious crime while on bail. This offence was removed as part of bail changes that came into effect earlier this year.
-
The introduction of a new magistrate in the children’s court to specially deal with criminal cases of repeat youth offenders. This reform will be fast-tracked and in place by the end of the year, the government says.
-
The introduction of additional police prosecutors to manage repeat youth offenders.
-
A new “council on bail, rehabilitation and accountability” (dubbed Cobra) to keep track of youth offenders. Made up of experts, police and schools they will keep government informed about youth offenders past, what’s driving their behaviour and “how to stop the cycle”.
-
An audit of other measures introduced in the bill.
Birmingham defends Aukus clauses
Liberal senator Simon Birmingham has defended the exit ramps which are contained in the Aukus agreement (information about the agreement was tabled by Richard Marles in the parliament yesterday). The US or UK can pull out of the agreement with a year’s notice.
Dan Hurst has gone into detail on what we know about the deal here.
But Birmingham was defending the exit clause:
Nothing that any country seeks to do with another country can be guaranteed in ten, 20, 30, 40, 50 years’ time. But what we are seeking to do here is to build sovereign capabilities in Australia in terms of our own nuclear-powered submarine capability industry and to establish that workforce here in Australia. But of course, to do it in tandem through that technology exchange.
And we have just as the US and the UK, such a long alliance with each of those countries, and we should have absolute confidence in the ability to deliver on this program.
We should never take a backward step from that ambition, and we’ve got to be charging ahead with it, and we have to be looking at it in the same type of time frame as the depth of that alliance has been before us.
More on Labor’s ‘balanced approach’
It appears the government is doubling down on the “other considerations” side of the gambling ban.
Murray Watt:
I have an immense amount of respect for the work Peta Murphy did. She was terrific colleague, a really intelligent person who considered these issues very deeply. She and her committee did put forward some recommendations which we are now considering.
We haven’t made decisions at this point in time. We are consulting all of the stakeholders who’ve got an interest in it and I’m confident that the ministers responsible will be able to put forward a balanced approach that does something about this issue while recognising some of the other impacts that it would have.
Murray Watt emphasises ‘balanced approach’ to gambling ad ban
Back to gambling and workplace minister Murray Watt also spoke to ABC Breakfast TV where he was asked about the government’s plans, and the criticism it wasn’t going far enough:
I think we need a balanced approach to the issue. I’m a father. I see gambling ads on TV a lot. I’d like something more done about it and I know that’s what Michelle Rowland and Amanda Rishworth are working on right now but we need to recognise it’s an important revenue source for free-to-air TV when it’s under immense pressure from social media.
It’s an important revenue source for sporting codes and that’s why we’re taking the time to think this through properly and come up with a workable solution that takes those issues into consideration.
Pelosi criticises Keating comments on Taiwan as ‘Chinese real estate’
The ABC’s Sarah Ferguson has interviewed former House speaker and Democrat power broker Nancy Pelosi. The interview will air this evening on 7.30. But Ferguson was on ABC Breakfast TV this morning to give a little forward sizzle, broadcasting a comment Pelosi made in response to Paul Keating’s recent comment that Taiwan was “Chinese real estate”.
Pelosi:
You don’t want to get my description of him for saying that. That’s ridiculous. It is not Chinese real estate and he should know that. Taiwan is Taiwan and it is the people of Taiwan who have a democracy there. I think that that was a stupid statement.
I’ve no idea about Keating, but I think that it was a stupid statement to make, and I don’t know what his connection is to China that he would say such a thing. But it is really not in the security interest of the Asia-Pacific region for people to talk that way.
