ABC News Thu, 16 Mar 2000 23:03 AEDT Liberal rules out crossing floor on sentencing A key Federal Liberal MP, Brendan Nelson, has ruled out crossing the floor to overturn mandatory sentencing laws for juveniles. Brendan Nelson is one of several MPs who strongly oppose mandatory sentencing, who combined could help pass legislation to override laws in the Northern Territory and Western Australia. The Government has so far scuttled or gagged debate on a Senate bill and two private members' bills to overturn the laws. The Independent MP, Peter Andren, says he will introduce another bill next month to override laws in the Northern Territory. But Dr Nelson has made it clear he will not defy the government. "I have been unsuccessful in persuading the majority of my colleagues to support my position," he said. "If I or any of my colleagues were on every issue that comes before us simply to go and do what we think is the right thing to do, ignoring the views of other people whose views have as much legitimacy as my own, then this country would essentially be ungovernable." © 1999 Australian Broadcasting Corporation -- ********************************* 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/
