Tolley Anne: Victims’ Orders Against Violent Offenders Bill — Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeTolley Anne: Victims’ Orders Against Violent Offenders Bill — Third Reading[Sitting date: 19 June 2014. Volume:699;Page:18757. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon ANNE TOLLEY (Minister of Police)on behalf of theMinister of Justice: I move That the Victims’ Orders Against Violent Offenders Bill be now read a third time. This bill delivers this Government’s commitment to supporting victims of serious violent and sexual offences. The bill recognises the ongoing effects of serious violent offending on victims. It creates a new civil order called a non-contact order to reduce the likelihood of offenders who commit serious violent and sexual offences coming into contact with their victims. Serious violent and sexual offences can continue to have an impact on victims for a significant period of time. If a victim is concerned that they might come into contact with their attacker this can interfere with the victim’s recovery. Victims deserve to feel safe and supported during their recovery. This Government is committed to ensuring that their needs are met.Currently offenders are managed by a variety of mechanisms once they are released from prison. These include release conditions imposed by the court or the Parole Board and protection orders or restraining orders. However these mechanisms may not protect victims in all situations. Release conditions apply for only a certain amount of time and a protection order or restraining order may not be available to the victims. The non-contact order created by this bill will fill this gap in legal protection for the victim. This Government is determined to ensure that victims of serious violent offences feel safe in their homes and are protected by the law.The new order can be tailored to the circumstances of each case to ensure that the conditions are practical and workable. This flexibility should ensure that the order can be effective for victims regardless of their situation. For example it should be able to prevent the offender from making contact with the victim regardless of whether the offender has moved next door two blocks away or 5 kilometres away.The aim of the bill is to protect victims of serious violent offenders. As a result the order can be applied to a person who has been sentenced to more than 2 years in prison for a specified violent or sexual offence. Victims will be able to apply for an order at any time after the offender’s sentencing. This will ensure that there is no gap in protection for victims after the offender is released from prison. The bill gives victims the ability to apply for a non-contact order without notice if the court is satisfied that delay would or might cause undue hardship for the victim. An order made without notice will be a temporary order. The temporary order will become final after 3 months unless the court orders otherwise.The offender can request a hearing on whether the temporary order should become final. Orders can also apply to associates of an offender. This will ensure that offenders cannot encourage others to do things that cause distress to the victim that they themselves are prohibited from doing. It is important that offenders properly comply with non-contact orders and that breaches of orders are taken seriously. Therefore it will be an offence to breach a non-contact order with a maximum penalty of 2 years’ imprisonment or a fine of up to $5000. This gives the court the ability to impose an appropriate penalty depending on the seriousness of the breach.The new order created by the bill will help to protect victims by filling a gap in the law where existing measures are not sufficient to limit contact with the offender. This bill reinforces the Government’s ongoing support for victims of serious crime and complements the recent passing of our Victims of Crime Reform Bill which allows for the development of a Victims Code. This bill will help to empower victims and it delivers this Government’s unrelenting commitment to putting victims at the heart of our criminal justice system. I commend this bill to the House.