Warren Snowdon (Lingiari, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Defence Science and Personnel) Share this | Hansard source

I just need to advise that in the committee stage I will be moving an amendment, but I do not appear to have the documents from the Clerk in relation to the amendment motion. Firstly, may I thank the member for Paterson, the member for Fadden, the member for Cowan and the member for Herbert, from the opposition, for their contributions, and also Parliamentary Secretary Combet and the member for Werriwa, from the government side. As we know, the Defence Legislation Amendment Bill 2008 has the support of both sides of parliament. It was an initiative which was discussed in the last parliament and it has been resubmitted in this parliament.

The amendment bill will introduce some efficiencies in the process of summary justice. Essentially, the bill is designed to streamline the handling of trials where there is more than one offence but where those offences range in seriousness—that is, one, two or three. Where there are multiple offences, they will be bundled together and dealt with together according to the process for the most serious of the offences. This may be at the summary level, for all minor offences, or, for serious offences, before a single judge of the Military Court, or perhaps even a judge and jury. It also provides for more than one offender. Provision is also made for the defence military prosecutor to use his or her discretion in determining this process. I beg your pardon: I should not be reading that amendment.

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