Greens spokesperson for Corrective Services and Justice Hon Alison Xamon MLC is today pleased to support long-overdue reform to fines enforcement laws, which will, among other changes to the law, make imprisonment for fine default an absolute last resort.
Ms Xamon said she had advocated for many years for an overhaul of the fines enforcement system, not least because it formed a key recommendation in the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody 30 years ago.
Greens spokesperson for Sexuality and Gender Identity and Justice Hon Alison Xamon MLC has urged the Government to develop a better response to LGBTIQ prejudice-related crime, following revelations WA Police do NOT track this kind of data.
Ms Xamon said she was dismayed to learn through questions in Parliament that police still did not track instances of hate crime directed at the LGBTIQ community – a decade after it was identified as a significant gap.
Greens spokesperson for Corrective Services Hon Alison Xamon MLC has expressed her deep concern about the alleged “body-slam” of a prisoner at Bandyup Women’s Prison over the weekend, which fellow prisoners claim left an Aboriginal woman in a critical condition.
Ms Xamon said she intended to question the Government about the incident, following reports the woman was “’body slammed’ on Saturday and that she was taken to hospital.
Greens spokesperson for Children and Youth, and Justice, Hon Alison Xamon MLC has today welcomed the findings of the Punitive Not Protective: When the Mandatory Registration of Young People is not based on risk report, from the Standing Committee on Environment and Public Affairs.
Ms Xamon, who made a submission to the inquiry, said today’s report was timely and important – and she hoped the recommendations presented would lead to much needed reform of the Community Protection (Offender Reporting) Act 2004.
Greens spokesperson for Chid Protection Hon Alison Xamon MLC has called on the Government to urgently top-up funding for Kids Helpline, since she revealed more than half of phone calls to and attempted web-chats with the essential counselling service went unanswered.
Ms Xamon said she was very concerned to learn through questions in Parliament that 58% of phone contacts and 58% of attempted web-chats were not answered in 2019-20 – with the phone call no-answer rate up 2% on the previous financial year.
