Country Liberal Party proposes changes to bail laws
In the Northern Territory, the Country Liberal Party has committed to introduce what it is calling "Declan's Law" which it says will mean less offenders receiving bail for serious violent offences.
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TVTranscript
00:00A mother's grief.
00:03Sorry.
00:04Samara Laverty, visiting the place her son Declan was killed by Keith Kiranua and making
00:13a plea for tougher sentences.
00:16There needs to be a deterrent, given that the offence that Mr Kiranua was out on bail
00:22for was a very serious offence, stabbing someone else.
00:27Ms Laverty also recognising opportunities were missed to turn around the life of her
00:33son's murderer.
00:34I found during the trial that Mr Kiranua was actually a very intelligent and articulate
00:40person.
00:41Maybe if the right interventions had happened at the right time, we wouldn't be in this
00:46position and neither would he.
00:48The CRP leader by her side promising to introduce reforms which would stop more people charged
00:55with violent offences from being released.
00:57Declan's law will represent serious bail reform right across the Northern Territory.
01:04But her vow to introduce a presumption against bail for violent offenders coming under scrutiny.
01:10The Criminal Law Association doesn't support that.
01:12We don't think it will reduce crime in any way.
01:16It doesn't prevent a crime from happening and so it's energy in the wrong direction.
01:20The CRP's proposed changes will mean more people spending time on remand for first time
01:24offences.
01:25But the opposition leader is vowing the changes will empower police and reduce the rate of
01:30knife crime in the Territory.
01:32But questions from the legal community linger over whether tougher laws are the solution.
01:38Presumption against bail doesn't stop the crime from happening in the first place.
01:41So what you have to look at then is investing in things that do prevent crime.
01:47While debate rages, Samara Lavity pushes on.
01:50Her hope that no one else has to go through what she has.