The result was too often, in the eyes of the community, the handing out of bonds, suspended sentences and other lenient treatment. And it was not just urban society that demanded protection and appropriate punishment. Aboriginal Territorians, who have always had difficulty with the long-winded, circuitous nature of our court system, were also sick of their possessions and community property being stolen and trashed. Many Aboriginals have told me of their dismay when a known community devil was transformed into a courtroom angel by the silver tongue of a Legal Aid lawyer. It is often overlooked that Aboriginals are not just over-represented in all Australian goals.
Aboriginals are massively over-represented in the long list of victims of crime.
Tonight, I will give you the facts on mandatory sentencing legislation in the Northern Territory, both before and after the signing of the July 27 agreement with the Commonwealth. And I will leave multiple copies which I hope will be of use during tomorrow's workshop. After being overwhelmingly endorsed as a policy by Territory voters in two elections, the CLP Government introduced mandatory minimum sentencing in 1997. The regime was based on the fact that police, working on the ground and more closely in touch with ALL Territory communities, had discretion to caution, rather than charge any offender, for what the officer judged to be a minor crime. When a juvenile, aged 15 or 16, appears before a court for the first time , and is found guilty of a property offence, the court has a range of sentences available.