A decision by the NSW Attorney General, John Hatzistergos, to postpone proposed changes to the Bail Act 1978 (NSW) until the next sitting of NSW Parliament is welcomed by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC).
PIAC hopes the NSW Government will now heed the suggestions of many community and legal organisations and establish an independent inquiry into what changes are needed to the Bail Act.
PIAC and other community and legal organisations want to ensure that adequate consideration is given to the needs of specific groups such as young people and Aboriginal Torres Strait Islanders.
Allowing a wide public inquiry, with ample time for submissions and public consultations, will greatly assist any reform in this area.
The NSW Government recently redrafted the Bail Act 1978 (NSW) to make it ‘clearer and more accessible’ and released a draft version of the Bill for
public comment.
However, only two weeks were allowed for public comment.
According to a Sydney Morning Herald report, the planned changes were shelved this week after it became clear there was insufficient support in Parliament.
Updating Bail is a PIAC submission about the proposed changes. The submission called for a general public inquiry
with adequate time for public consultation. PIAC also suggested changes to the
Act to further assist young people and Indigenous people.
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