Bail reform
David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (13:45): My question is to the Minister for Youth Justice. I refer to the minister’s responsibility under section 3B of the Bail Act 1977. Minister, the Premier has announced a ministerial review of the Bail Act. When where you informed of this review?
Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice) (13:45): I thank Mr Davis for his question and his interest in these matters. You will note that the Bail Act under the general order is the primary responsibility of the Attorney-General in the other place, and you will recall we did have a youth justice bill last term. When there were questions specifically about the Bail Act we had the Attorney-General at the time, Minister Jaclyn Symes, at the bench, answering a lot of those questions. But what I will say is the Premier –
A member interjected.
Enver ERDOGAN: I will respond. The Premier has outlined that we are looking at our criminal justice settings, and that is what all governments do. At the heart of all our justice reforms is community safety, and that is what the Youth Justice Bill 2024 was about. We did strengthen the Bail Act in that, and I can say, as the Minister for Youth Justice, we have seen an increase in the amount of young people on remand as a consequence of those reforms. So we have already strengthened the Bail Act.
In relation to the current reforms, the Premier also outlined that those reforms and those justice settings are being looked at and being led by the Attorney-General and the Minister for Police, and I support them undertaking that work. We have a very capable team of ministers. The police minister and Attorney-General are well placed to do that work, and I will be supporting them 100Â per cent.
David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (13:46): President, I note that he did not answer with a timeline on when he knew about this, so I will ask you later about that.
My supplementary is this: what role will you play, given your joint responsibility for section 3B of the Bail Act and that you have not been named as part of the review?
Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice) (13:47): I thank Mr Davis for his supplementary question. I think I answered some of that, Mr Davis, in my answer to the substantive. That work is being led by the police minister and the Attorney-General, but obviously as the Minister for Corrections and the Minister for Youth Justice I will pay close attention to the outcomes of that and be contributing with information as required. At the heart of all of our reforms is community safety. I will say that through our investments in our corrections system we have ample capacity to accommodate additional people, but as the Minister for Corrections and Youth Justice I do not decide who enters our system. Those are matters for the courts and are obviously matters for the legal settings at the time, but I will be contributing with information as required and supporting them. We have a very capable Attorney-General and a very capable police minister, who I will be supporting. They are leading that work, and I will be supporting them the whole way through.