Andrew Murray (WA, Australian Democrats) Share this | Hansard source

My point to the minister is this: I think one of the weaknesses of section 46 has been that it has been so difficult to access and so few cases have been concluded. Without going to the fact that I and the opposition believe that section 46 could be strengthened even more, my belief is that the amendments in the government’s own bill actually improve the opportunity for section 46 cases to be successfully prosecuted and would therefore make it less difficult than it has been in the past. That is one of the reasons why the Magistrates Court option could be considered now under the new regime as opposed to the old.