Preamble: At the outset, it must be understood that enforcement is only one method necessary to deal with crime. There are a number of issues interlinked to crime and therefore contributory to both types of, and increases in, crimes committed in our society.
These issues include family breakdown, substance abuse and unemployment, and will be addressed in future policy announcements.
Queenslanders are right to be concerned about crime and its impact on safety in the community as the following figures are frighteningly and clearly unacceptable.
In just the last financial year, armed robbery in Queensland has increased by 23%.
In this last year, over a thousand Queenslanders personally suffered robbery at the hands of a criminal brandishing a weapon and clearly threatening their lives.
Looking at the picture over the period of the last ten years the trends are inexcusable and an inditement on the performance of successive Coalition and Labor Governments.
In consideration of these trends and the fear held within the community, Pauline Hanson’s One Nation will be going to the Queensland State Election with the following initiatives as important elements of an overall policy for Law and Order and Crime and Punishment.
Introduction of mandatory sentences.
Truth in sentencing - 10 years will mean 10 years and life will mean life.
Voluntary intoxication will not be accepted as a defence under any circumstances.
Equality of treatment before the law regardless of race or cultural background.
Police will have the discretionary power, after midnight, to remove people under 16 years of age from the streets and return them home.
Entry to property for criminal purposes automatically forfeits the offenders right to compensation or the pursuit of the property owner under common law for injury or loss resulting from the uninvited entry.
Over 25% of prisoners admitted to Queensland gaols are fine defaulters. It is only expensive and counter productive to gaol these offenders - gaol should only be considered in the most extreme cases.
Police need to be free to pursue those who are a threat to the community and jails should be used to contain and punish those whose offences are serious enough to warrant their removal from society.
With this principle as the base, we propose to free up prison space by generally not jailing fine defaulters and to remove the ongoing involvement of police in having to continually pursue defaulters by garnishment of their income at its source.
Pauline Hanson’s One Nation recognises some criminals pose a particularly serious threat and need to be contained in a manner where there is no capacity for them to escape and endanger the community.
We propose security of a type that will include electrified fences and isolation in a location well outside the populated areas. This proposal will be further developed and costed for release at a future date.
A particular concern is the failure of the judiciary to impose fitting sentences or uphold existing sentences in the case of appeal. The public is rightly concerned that judges are too lenient and therefore the outcomes in criminal courts do not represent the community view. The public is angry and powerless to correct this situation.
At each general state election we will afford the people of Queensland the opportunity to elect 12 ordinary citizens who will form the membership of the State Judiciary Review Board. This board will conduct annual reviews of the judiciary and make recommendations with regards to, or terminating of, the appointment of those who fail to uphold the sentencing policies of the state government of the day.