A Sloane Liberal and Nationals Government will legislate Break Bail, Go to Jail (Luke’s Law), ensuring that anyone on bail who is charged with a serious crime is behind bars, regardless of whether they are an adult or a youth offender.
The tough new bail laws will honour the life of Luke Manassa, who was allegedly murdered in Pemulwuy last year in another mistaken identity case. Police have said one of the three teenagers charged over his death was on bail at the time.
Leader of the Opposition Kellie Sloane said the NSW community deserved safer streets, not a revolving bail door.
“Luke was 21 years old, working in his family’s business, with his whole future ahead of him. Luke’s Law will put community safety first by ensuring dangerous repeat offenders are off our streets,” Ms Sloane said.
“Police are telling me that they arrest offenders, they’re released on bail, and too often they go on to commit more crimes. That’s an affront to the community, and it has to stop.”
“Our approach is simple: break bail, go to jail.”
Leader of the Nationals Gurmesh Singh said regional communities are sick of seeing the same offenders arrested and back on the streets committing further crimes.
“Regional communities bear the brunt of Labor’s crime crisis. We will stand up for regional NSW by backing cops and getting dangerous repeat offenders off our streets,” Mr Singh said.
Shadow Attorney General Susan Carter said these laws put victims first.
“Bail is a privilege, not a right. If you commit a serious offence on bail, there is no second chance, you are demonstrating you are not safe to be left in the community and you will go to jail,” Mrs Carter said.
Shadow Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism Anthony Roberts said police were working harder than ever, and they deserved laws that make their job easier.
“Our police keep us safe every day. But they are tired of arresting the same offenders over and over, just to see a judge release them on bail hours later,” Mr Roberts said.
Under Luke’s Law, the Bail act will be amended to ensure:
- Adults on bail charged with a serious indictable offence will have their bail automatically revoked and bail refused for the new charge.
- Any young person on bail charged with a serious children’s indictable offence (SCIO) will have their bail revoked and be refused bail for the new charge. This will include the Liberals and Nationals’ expanded list of SCIOs under our Adult Crime, Adult Time laws.
Break Bail, Go to Jail laws form part of the NSW Liberals and Nationals’ plan for Safer Streets, Stronger Communities, which includes:
- Adult Crime, Adult Time laws
- Anytime, Anywhere knife wanding laws.
- Creating new offences of using a violence broker or acting as a violence broker with a maximum penalty of 16 years or 20 years if a child is involved.
- Doubling the funding to the NSW Crime Commission to allow it to identify more participants in organised crime and confiscate their unexplained wealth.
- Extending unexplained wealth orders so they apply to anyone reasonably suspected of acting as or using a violence broker.
- Proposed laws to protect children from extremist grooming and radicalisation.
