-----Original Message----- From: Webcentral <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: '[EMAIL PROTECTED]' <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Tuesday, February 29, 2000 9:20 AM Subject: [atsic] Media Release: MANDATORY SENTENCING LAWS MUST BE SCRAPPED > Media Release > >MANDATORY SENTENCING LAWS MUST BE SCRAPPED > >The Chairman of ATSIC, Mr Geoff Clark, today called on the Prime Minister, >Mr Howard, to initiate immediate Commonwealth action on mandatory sentencing >laws in Western Australia and the Northern Territory, rather than waiting to >be shamed into it by the United Nations. >Speaking in Perth after a visit to WA's top-security Casuarina Prison, Mr >Clark said Australia must act now to honour its obligations under >international conventions, and in the interests of justice and humanity for >all Australians. >"The mandatory sentencing laws in Western Australia and the Northern >Territory must be overturned now', he said. >"If this is not done by the States themselves, then the Commonwealth must >act before more people who shouldn't be in prisons die in custody. > "But the real answer is in diverting potential prisoners from the path that >leads to incarceration, and the first step must be the repeal of the >outrageous and unjust mandatory sentencing laws. >"It should not have taken the threat of international humiliation to provoke >action on this issue, but if that's what is needed to force the Prime >Minister's hand, then so be it." >.../ > > >Mr Clark accompanied the Perth Noongar Regional Council's Chairman, Mr >Farley Garlett, and ATSIC's Commissioner for the South West Zone of Western >Australia, Mr Eric Wynne; on an inspection of Casuarina Prison at the >personal invitation of the State Director of Prisons, Mr Tony Leech. The >visit was requested intially by Mr Garlett. >The visit had a special and unexpected significance for Mr Clark, when two >of the prisoners he met turned out to nephews he was meeting for the first >time. >"I must say I was agreeably surprised by the human face of Casuarina", Mr >Clark said, "and by the genuine efforts of the prison authorities to deal as >reasonably and as humanely as possible with their prisoners. >"Casuarina represents the leading edge of custodial facilities in Western >Australia, and its standards should be a minimum requirement for all such >institutions, both within Western Australia and nationwide. >"I will be in Geneva in two weeks, and I will endeavour to make the voice of >reason and common sense made on this issue at every opportunity. I >certainly wish to speak to the United Nations Commissioner on Human Rights, >Mrs Mary Robinson, to make clear to her the level of opposition within >Australia to these draconian laws." > >25 February 2000 > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------- RecOzNet2 has a page @ http://www.green.net.au/recoznet2 and is archived at http://www.mail-archive.com/ To unsubscribe from this list, mail [EMAIL PROTECTED], and in the body of the message, include the words: unsubscribe announce or click here mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20announce This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use." RecOzNet2 is archived for members @ http://www.mail-archive.com/recoznet2%40paradigm4.com.au/
