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Archived Press Releases 2005 19th December 2005

Government should cough-up with unpaid reparation

(19th December 2005)

The Government has an obligation to ensure Court ordered reparation is paid says a victim advocacy organization.

Figures just released by National MP Simon Power show that Victims of crime are owed $60 million and the Sensible Sentencing Trust say it is Government legislation that allowed it to happen and the Government must now cough-up.

Trust spokesman Garth McVicar said the 2002 Sentencing Act instructs Judges to use reparation as a "sentencing option" and it was this clause that has resulted in the massive ballooning of unpaid reparation to victims of crime.

"We believe the Government has a moral obligation to pay these Victims now and then collect the money from the criminals. Ministers of the Crown have caused the problem, it is now up to them to sort it out".

"Not only are these criminals getting away with not paying the reparation, they have also had there sentence reduced as the same legislation orders Judges to take into consideration that reparation was offered. No allowance is made for the fact that it may never be paid".

McVicar said that under this pathetic soft-option criminals are laughing all the way to the bank and being given a discount on their sentence into the bargain.

The Sensible Sentencing Trust is presently lobbying Parliament to adopt the New South Wales reparation model which sees the Crown pay reparation to the Victims, then enforcement procedures are put in place to ensure the offender reimburses the Crown.

"The benefit with this scheme is that criminals are held accountable for their offending and in a short space of time this has seen a considerable reduction in the level of crime being committed", McVicar said.

One thing criminals understand is "If it hurts, don’t do it".

Regards,

Garth McVicar
National Spokesperson,
Sensible Sentencing Trust.