Hi Kirsty,
Thank you for being so eagle-eyed and thorough! I should have checked it over more
carefully but I had too
many other things vying for attention and, as far as that goes, you have a lot more
knowledge in this
department.
Thanks for drawing our attention to this and I hope the people who forwarded it will
also send a follow-up.
Trudy
Kirsty Magarey wrote:
> Dear Trudy & co
>
> There's a bit of a problem with this petition, I think. As far as I'm
> aware there is no Mandatory Sentencing of Juvenile Offenders Bill 1999.
> The NT mandatory sentencing legislation is contained in two statutes, the
> Juvenile Justice Act and the Sentencing Act 1995 (NT), (which was amended
> in 1988 (although those amendments weren't all punitive) by the Sentencing
> Amendment Act 1998 (NT)).
>
> The only legislation about mandatory sentencing that is currently before a
> Parliament (i.e. that is still in the form of a Bill) is before the
> Federal Parliament (not the NT Parliament) and is called the Human Rights
> (Mandatory Sentencing of Juvenile Offenders) Bill 1999 (it was introduced
> by Bob Brown). As this Bill would be regarded by opponents of mandatory
> sentencing as a good thing, it doesn't make sense for this petition to
> call for its repeal (if that's what it's trying to do).
>
> What's more the difficulties with e-mail petitions are numerous, and
> include the fact that by the time these messages get delivered they will
> contain so many duplicated names that they are likely to be of less weight
> than a traditional hardcopy petition or letter. Unfortunately the House
> of Reps won't accept electronic petitions at the moment, but unless people
> feel like individually e-mailing the politicians mentioned in this
> petition, and asking them to support measures to over-rule mandatory
> sentencing provisions (which is one good way of doing things... just not
> as a chain e-mail), then can I suggest that they check out the hardcopy
> petition on this issue at http://www.antar.org.au/mandatory_sentencing/
>
> In fact can I also suggest if you get this e-mail petition you respond by
> sending people this URL... because, however good-hearted it is, this
> particular e-mail petition is inaccurate and badly organised (and could be
> counterproductive!).
>
> Thanks,
> Kirsty
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Trudy and Rod Bray [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
> Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2000 9:21 AM
> To: RecOzNet2
> Subject: [recoznet2] Mandatory sentencing petition
>
> Subject: Fw: mandatory sentencing
> Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 13:40:17 +1100
> X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
> X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 4.72.3110.1
> X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V4.72.3110.3
> >
> We, the undersigned Australians, request that the Northern
> Territory
> Government repeal the Mandatory Sentencing of Juvenile Offenders Bill
> 1999
> immediately.
> We believe the recent death of a fifteen year old Aboriginal boy who
> was being detained in Darwin under the Territory's mandatory sentencing
>
> laws was avoidable. We believe the Mandatory Sentencing of Juvenile
> Offenders Bill 1999 is
> discriminatory, disrespectful, morally abhorrent, racist and unjust.
> The Mandatory Sentencing Bill takes the responsibility for law and
> order away from the local custodians of the law in each Aboriginal
> community
> in the Territory.
> Despite the Royal Commission's Inquiry into Aboriginal Deaths in
> Custody and 339 recommendations later, Aboriginal people are still 14
> times
> more likely to be imprisoned than non-Aboriginal Australians. In the
> Northern Territory, 72.8 per cent of the prison population is
> Aboriginal.
> This compares with 33.1% in Western Australia and 21.6% in Queensland.
> Does the Northern Territory Government genuinely believe that
> mandatory sentencing laws are making a real difference?
> There is a better way.
> We believe the boy's local community and family could have undertaken
> >a
> more appropriate action under customary law and the young boy would
> probably still be alive today.
> We urge you to consider enabling and supporting Aboriginal people in
> the Northern Territory to implement their own laws as responsible,
> respectful and valid, ways of dealing with offensive law breaking
> behaviour.
> >
> Yours sincerely,
> 1. Nicholas Hansen [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 2. Daniel Vaughan [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 3. Jane Susak [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 4. Aysen Mustafa [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 5. Brian Rapsey [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 6. Dylan Rapsey [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 7. Simon Busch [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 8. Helen Razer [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 9. Marj O'Callaghan
> 10. Helen Thal
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> INSTRUCTIONS:
>
> 1. Please send this email in its entirety to all Australians
> that you think will support the petition.
> 2. To avoid too many quotation marks, please copy the text and
> paste it into a new email letter and send to as many people as you
> can.
> 3. Before you send it, add your name email address at the
> bottom of the list.
> 4. If, once you have added your name and email address, you
> are the 20th person to sign the petition, please send it to the entire
> legislative assembly in the Northern Territory (email addresses are
> below).
> 5. Then delete the first 20 names and sent it to you own
> recipients.
> 6. A short personal message from you to some people on the
> legislative list will also demand a response
> 7. Thank your for you support on this important issue - we
> have the technology - let's use it to move it and make a difference!
>
> TO:
>
> 1. Hon Peter Adamson MLA
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 2. Mr. John Leonard
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 3. Mr. Stephen John
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 4. The Hon. Timothy Denney
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 5. The Hon. Loraine Margaret
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 6. Denis Gabriel
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 7. Hon. Stephen Dunham
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 8. Mr Johan Wessel
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 9. Mr Stephen Paul
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 10. Mr Paul Raymond
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 11. Mrs. Margaret Anne
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 12. Dr. Richard Soon Huat
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 13. Hon. Christopher Dennis
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 14. Hon. Daryl William
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 15. Ms. Clare Majella [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 16. Hon. Terence Robert
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 17. Mr Terrence Kennedy
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 18. Mr. Philip Anthony
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 19. Hon. Michael James
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 20. Hon. Eric Houguet
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 21. Hon. Michael Anthony
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 22. Mr. Maurice Joseph
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 23. Mr Sydney James
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 24. QC, The Hon. Shane Leslie
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 25. Mr. Peter Howard
> [EMAIL PROTECTED] Contacts For Petition:
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Senior Lecturer Workplace Learning and Organisational Development Unit
> School for Social, Community and Organisational Studies University of
> Western Sydney Nepean
> PO Box 10
> Kingswood, NSW 2747, Australia
> ph: + 61 2 9678 7612
> Fax: + 61 2 9678 7120
>
> Peter McGregor [EMAIL PROTECTED] & Social Studies University of
> Western Sydney Nepean
> PO Box 10
> Kingswood, NSW 2747, Australia
> ph: + 61 2 96787356
> Fax 61 2 96787399
>
-------------------------------------------------------
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/
