Fed: PM claims victory on mandatory law

AAP General News (Australia)
04-11-2000
Fed: PM claims victory on mandatory law

By Rod McGuirk

CANBERRA, April 11 AAP - Prime Minister John Howard claimed victory on the mandatory
sentencing furore today with moderate backbenchers silencing their demands for reform
and Labor surrendering on the issue.

But indigenous leaders will not let Mr Howard put the issue behind him yet, arguing
the $5 million deal he struck to water down the Northern Territory laws did not go far
enough.

Mr Howard told a backbenchers' meeting that the deal with NT Chief Minister Denis Burke
was a sensible and practical outcome.

Backbenchers who threatened to cross the floor to bring down mandatory sentencing laws
in NT last week kept their silence during the meeting, a government spokesman said.

Opposition Leader Kim Beazley told his caucus colleagues Labor could not take the battle
against mandatory sentencing in NT and Western Australia any further.

"He (Mr Beazley) said that we couldn't take the issue any further at this stage but
we would be leaving it on the notice paper and keeping it under review," a caucus spokesman
said.

The deal struck yesterday requires police to divert juveniles to rehabilitation programs
rather than charge them with minor offences, keeping them out of the mandatory sentencing
regime.

News of the NT deal brought jealousy from the Queensland government and a warning from
WA Premier Richard Court for the Howard government to stay out of state affairs.

Queensland Attorney-General Matt Foley said the federal government should now make
similar funds available to states that have significant numbers of juvenile Aborigines
in trouble with the law.

But the Alice Springs-based Central Land Council said the deal would achieve nothing.

"It is a political solution paid for by yet another enormous bucket of cash from Australian
taxpayers to the NT government," council director David Ross said.

Mr Howard was expected to be pressed on indigenous issues including mandatory sentencing,
compensation for the stolen generation and reconciliation when he dines with Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander Commissioners at The Lodge tonight.

ATSIC chairman Geoff Clark described the mandatory sentencing deal as a half-solution.

The rest of the solution would be the recognition of tribal law on Aboriginal land,
which covers about half the NT.

"Aboriginal law should apply on Aboriginal land and that is I'm talking about customary
law," Mr Clark told ABC radio.

Mr Burke accused Mr Clark of having no concept of how customary law operated in the NT.

"Good God, for someone who's supposed to be the boss of ATSIC, if he had any concept
of how customary law works in fact, he would be the first to be pilloried on human rights
issues," Mr Burke told radio 2UE.

The Australian Democrats and Green Senator Bob Brown, who had joined Labor in sponsoring
a private member's bill that would exempt all children from mandatory sentencing, said
Mr Howard could not now ignore the WA laws.

Government moderates conceded they still wanted to see children freed from mandatory
laws, but were satisfied with the compromise.

AAP rmg/mfh/apm/bwl

KEYWORD: MANDATORY NIGHTLEAD

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