Sentencing Amendment (Alcohol Treatment Order) Bill 2024 (No 7)

Thursday 20 June 2024

[3.26 p.m.]

Ms ARMITAGE (Launceston) - Mr President, I will say a few words on this bill. I agree with the members who have spoken. It is a very good bill.

This bill allows our courts to make a treatment order where an offender has demonstrated a history of alcohol dependence which is linked to their offending. I imagine this is quite a significant number. Currently, these types of orders are limited to offenders with a demonstrated history of illicit drug use. I believe that the physiological and mind-altering effects that alcohol, and particularly alcohol addiction have, must strongly mimic those of drug addiction and express some surprise that this did not already exist.

Now is as good a time as any to ensure that the courts have a greater number of options when considering an alternative sentence for those whose offending is linked to alcohol addiction. If nothing else, it may provide an opportunity for earlier intervention for people whose alcohol addiction causes them to engage in criminal activity before they might move on to harder substances like illicit drugs and succumb to even greater addictive and criminal behaviours.

This bill provides the opportunity for a number of things. It provides offenders with the opportunity to remain in the community while they are engaged with support services to treat their addiction and other underlying issues, whilst also limiting the impact it has on their lives, including their work and family. It also provides courts with more sentencing options than before.

I believe people who are addicted to substances like alcohol need support, and that other types of sentences, including imprisonment or suspended sentences, might not always be most appropriate in the circumstances. We have actually seen that, particularly when we have visited custodial services and spoken to people in these situations. Sometimes going into a jail term can cause someone to come out in a much worse situation and certainly does not always help, particularly with recidivism.

To this end, I understand that the bill contains a range of program conditions.  In making a drug or alcohol treatment order, a court may attach one or more conditions to the treatment and supervision part of that order. This enables, as the Leader said, the court to craft orders with conditions that would prevent an offender from visiting licensed premises, for example. This is simply common sense and I am glad to see that the courts are being provided with as many options as possible for the purposes of sentencing offenders.

While this is an important step for offenders, the courts and the community, I wish to refer to one matter which has been raised. That is, whether there are enough places for offenders to enter alcohol treatment programs. That has been raised several times today. It is unfortunately a treatment with quite a significant demand in our community. While it is excellent that this is now going to be provided to courts as an option, providing an alcohol treatment order is not of much use when there are no places for an offender to receive treatment, support and counselling. Any information that the Leader could provide on that front would be most welcome.

I do know, Leader, that it has been increased in the past and the figures have been mentioned, but it would be good to know whether there is an intent in the future to increase these.

I support the bill and I hope that it will change the pathways that some people unfortunately find themselves on.