Statements
Evade laws passed, but Labor soft on crime again
I am pleased the Government’s legislation to crack down on police evaders has now passed the Legislative Council.
Evading police has emerged as a significant problem for Tasmania Police and the whole Tasmanian community. Our changes will allow a more common-sense approach in line with community expectations and give police additional powers to hold police evaders to account.
However, it was very disappointing to see Labor demonstrate they are consistently soft on crime when they voted to block minimum mandatory penalties for a third offence.
The community rightly expects repeat offenders to be held to account for their actions, and this would have sent a strong message that consistently evading police would result in guaranteed jail time.
Rene Hidding, Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Management