Parliament should not interfere with judicial discretion

04/09/2019

The Law Council of Australia has issued a Media Release stating mandatory sentencing for Commonwealth child sex offences would undermine court discretion in determining appropriate punishment and would not act as a deterrent, says the Law Council of Australia.

Law Council President, Arthur Moses SC, said child sex offending was abhorrent and while such offending deserved the full force of the law, mandatory sentencing opened the door to other unintended consequences.

A full copy of the media release is available here.