Tyrrell opposes hate crimes bill over mandatory minimum sentences

Mandatory minimum sentences don’t work.

That’s what the legal experts keep telling us. And there’s no evidence that  mandatory minimum sentences will stop the awful anti-semitic attacks we’ve seen.

That’s why I couldn’t support the Hate Crimes legislation in the Senate today.

Nobody should feel unsafe in Australia because of their religious beliefs. The way to address these problems starts at the basics; investing more in de-radicalisation programs and investing more in police. 

In Tassie the police force is in ‘crisis mode’. They’re under resourced, understaffed and stretched thin. And when that happens in any workplace, things fall through the cracks. We need to make sure police in all states and territories have the resources to actually investigate and then prosecute these crimes. 

And if stronger penalties are what the major parties are after, we should look at increasing maximum sentences. It would give judges more discretion on sentencing, not less. 

I support strengthening hate crimes offences. But I don’t support using mandatory minimum sentences as a blunt political tool.