Less Law, More Orders say Liberals
Feb 06, 2012
Hon Stephen Wade MLC
Shadow Attorney General
Shadow Minister for Justice
Less Law, More Orders say Liberals
The Liberal Opposition today accused the Weatherill Labor Government of failing to use Firearms Prohibition Orders effectively.
“Labor is more talk than action in dealing with organised crime - it is more interested in making laws rather than doing the hard yards to implement them,” Shadow Attorney-General Stephen Wade said today.
Firearms Prohibition Orders were introduced in 2008 after the Tonic Nightclub shooting incident “to curb motorcycle gang violence” (Minister’s second reading March 5, 2008).
But the last police annual report states that only 24 of OMG members have firearms prohibition orders against them – less than 10 per cent of the 274 members of outlaw motorcycle gangs. Firearm offences against public order increased by 9.4 per cent in 2010-11 to 3891 incidents that year alone. Only 46 people throughout the State are subject to the orders.
There have been two major incidents involving discharging of firearms in public places in the last two months but despite being previously known to police for their involvement in violent incidents none of the known combatants are/were subject to Firearms Prohibition Orders:
- Vince Focarelli, Giovanni Focarelli, Michael Syfris, Dylan Jessen and Danny Papadopolous
Orders would discourage the participants from taking a firearm into a public place and strengthen the arm of the police in dealing with them when apprehended.
Legislation passed in 2008 also required a review of Firearms Prohibition Orders, which is yet to be completed. The arrogant Labor Government will not even report on the use of the orders as required by law. Before it seeks to ramp up laws it should ask itself is it fully utilising the laws Parliament has given it?
“Labor loves to make laws but loses interest soon after the ink dries on the press release,” Mr Wade said.
“If Labor spent as much time targeting criminals as they did targeting headlines South Australia would be free from organised crime.
“Labor’s failure to effectively deal with gangs using existing laws should not be used as an excuse to ramp up the laws.”