The Canberra Times Tuesday, 29 February, 2000 Liberal MPs give ultimatum to Howard over sentencing By ROSS PEAKE, Political Correspondent Liberal MPs are threatening to cross the floor to vote with Labor unless the Howard Government shows national leadership over mandatory sentencing laws. They are angry the Northern Territory has already snubbed the United Nations' investigation into whether the laws breach Australia's international human-rights obligations. However, they believe a chance still exists Prime Minister John Howard will authorise arm's-length action - by allowing debate on a Liberal Private Members' Bill to override the NT law. A Senate inquiry, now finalising its report, is expected to condemn the laws when it reports late next week. The formal response by the Northern Territory and Federal Governments to that report will be crucial to shaping the attitude of Liberals who are pushing for action. The Labor Party has co-sponsored a private Members' Bill in the Senate with the Greens' Bob Brown. The Bill would override the mandatory sentencing laws for juveniles in the NT and WA. A core of six to eight Liberals is very concerned over the issue. However, these dissidents would only support the Bill if the NT failed to act and its ambit was quarantined to the territory. The crunch for the Howard Government would come if a modified Bill was passed through the Senate by ALP and Democrat senators and sent to the House of Representatives. The Howard Government could lose a vote in the lower House if the ginger group sided with the Opposition. Melbourne Liberal Peter Nugent said it would be harder for Liberals to vote for a Labor motion. ' I would like to see a Liberal private Members' Bill come forward, in the same way as on euthanasia and I think there would be some support for that,' he told The Canberra Times. ' We need to do something about the Northern Territory's laws and if they won't do it I think there is a responsibility on the federal Parliament so you'd have to be prepared to consider it. ' If it was a Liberal private Members' Bill, you wouldn't have to cross the floor so I would hope we would do the right thing and show the initiative and the leadership and do it ourselves.' Adelaide Liberal Chris Pyne said Coalition MPs were waiting to see how the governments responded to the Senate inquiry into mandatory sentencing laws. Asked if he would consider crossing the floor he said, ' It would be an option, failing the Northern Territory taking action itself.' Other Liberals supported the sentiments but pointed out many Liberal and National MPs strongly believed in states' rights. NT Chief Minister Denis Burke promised on Sunday any UN recommendation against mandatory sentencing would be ignored. Australia's top human-rights watchdog said the hard-line stance in Darwin on mandatory sentencing showed the NT Government was immature. Human Rights Commissioner Chris Sidoti said while treaties had no legal enforcement powers, they were consensual documents to which all Australian governments, including the Northern Territory, had agreed. -- ********************************* Make the Hunger Site your homepage! http://www.thehungersite.com/index.html ********************************* ------------------------------------------------------- RecOzNet2 has a page @ http://www.green.net.au/recoznet2 and is archived at http://www.mail-archive.com/ To unsubscribe from this list, mail [EMAIL PROTECTED], and in the body of the message, include the words: unsubscribe announce or click here mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20announce This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use." RecOzNet2 is archived for members @ http://www.mail-archive.com/recoznet2%40paradigm4.com.au/
