Ted O'Brien (Fairfax, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Justice and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Counter-Terrorism. Will the minister update the House on measures the government is taking to protect our community from our worst criminals? Are there any threats to these reforms?

Ms Rishworth interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Kingston is now warned.

Michael Keenan (Stirling, Liberal Party, Minister for Justice) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can I thank the member for Fairfax for that question. He knows that the best way to attack criminality, the best way to stop people re-offending is to actually give them prison sentences, to actually have them spend time in prison.

We have legislation that has passed this House and will be dealt with in the other place that is the strongest crackdown on Commonwealth child sex offending ever. The reason we are doing that is that we believe these horrendous criminals should actually spend time in prison. Let me tell members what is the current situation. This is the status quo that the Labor Party supports: 42 per cent of Commonwealth child sex offenders do not spend one day in prison, not one day; and of the 58 per cent—

Mr Perrett interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have a very low tolerance for repeated interjectors, and I'm not going to keep repeating myself. The member for Moreton will now leave under 94(a). He was warned earlier and he has continued to interject.

Michael Keenan (Stirling, Liberal Party, Minister for Justice) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to repeat that, because this is the status quo that the Labor Party supports: 42 per cent of paedophiles not spending one day in prison, not one day; among the 58 per cent of those who do go to prison, the most common length of time served is six months. This is the status quo.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister will resume his seat. The Manager of Opposition Business.

Mr Keenan interjecting—

The minister will cease interjecting.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, on a point of order: I ask the member to withdraw the statement that there are members of the House who want to see paedophiles on the street.

Mr Sukkar interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Deakin is warned. The Manager of Opposition Business: I am interested in his point of order; I would like him to explain to me what his point of order is.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am asking that the minister's statement that there are members on this side of the House who want to see paedophiles on the street be withdrawn.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I certainly did not hear the minister—

Mr Burke interjecting—

No, I'm actually going to address the point of order. The Manager of Opposition Business can sit down for a second. I gave a very comprehensive ruling and detained the House for a long period of time. I referred to what the minister said last time, in reference to the Leader of the House's point of order, and pointed out that if the minister had said what the Leader of the House had said the way he'd constructed it—and let me be very detailed about it—around the piece of legislation before the House, that would be factually based. Indeed, the Prime Minister did that in just the last answer. I realise it's difficult territory. I am listening very carefully. But the minister's answer this time is very different to his answer last time, and it's no different from the Prime Minister's answer, and it's in accordance with my ruling. So far he has given some statistics and he is talking about legislation before the House. The Manager of Opposition Business?

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Speaker, we did not take a point of order during the Prime Minister's answer. While there was a view about it, it was completely in accordance with your ruling. What the minister has said now is that those opposite support the status quo. And then he has said: the status quo involves paedophiles being on the street. That's what he said.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I know that's difficult, but he's talking about the current law. I've got to balance what is a very robust debate with, frankly, freedom of speech with respect to legislation, and I've made a very tough ruling on the minister, and, when he defied that ruling, I sat him down. I'm listening to the minister, and I'm going to keep listening to the minister.

Michael Keenan (Stirling, Liberal Party, Minister for Justice) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Because of the howls of outrage and the objections we've got from the Manager of Opposition Business and the Leader of the Opposition—