Fed: Changes not good enough: NT legal service

AAP General News (Australia)
04-10-2000
Fed: Changes not good enough: NT legal service

CANBERRA, April 10 AAP - The Northern Territory's compromise on mandatory sentencing
laws did not go far enough, NT legal services said today.

Prime Minister John Howard today announced NT Chief Minister Denis Burke had agreed
to change from 17 years to 18 the age at which an offender was treated as an adult, and
to direct police to refer juveniles to diversionary programs instead of charging them
over minor offences.

The territory's chief magistrate will have special responsibility for juveniles within
his jurisdiction.

The federal government will provide $5 million a year for enhanced diversionary programs
including conferencing with victims and greater opportunities for drug and substance abuse
diversion programs.

An Aboriginal interpreter service will also be funded.

"The main failure of the changes is that they do nothing for the situation with people
18 years and over," North Australian Aboriginal Legal Aid Service spokesman Gordon Renouf
told journalists today.

"If projects like diversionary projects are a good thing, then they are also a good
thing for people who are 18, 19 or 20.

"This issue is not going to go away because of the changes announced today."

She said it was not clear how the pre-charge diversion would work, or what the diversions
would mean.

"They won't go to court, but if diversion means a complicated and onerous program,
those people will be worse off and so will the victims," she said.

"Mandatory sentencing is still on the books as far as juveniles are concerned. There
haven't been any legislative changes apart from increasing the age to 18, which we of
course welcome."

AAP jb/mfh/cjh/br

KEYWORD: MANDATORY LEGAL

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