Bill Debate - State Civil Liability (Police Informants) Bill 2024: Council Amendments

STATE CIVIL LIABILTY (POLICE INFORMANTS) BILL 2024: COUNCIL AMENDMENTS.

Tuesday, 12 September 2024.

Mr NEWBURY (Brighton) (16:46):

The Amendments that have been moved are deeply concerning.

The Bill and the proposal that was put initially to this House has concerned the Coalition, and the Coalition has spoken about those great concerns. The reason we have spoken about those concerns is because what the Government is trying to do is hide a very dark and shameful chapter in this State’s history, to whitewash that chapter in the State’s history and say to people ‘You have no right’.

That iswhat this Bill does. It says: ‘You have no right of recompense.’ It does not matter who a person is. Every Victorian deserves to have their day in court, and they do deserve their legal rights.

What the Government are doing is extinguishing rights in relation to certain Victorians because they do not want trial evidence given which embarrasses the Government. That is what they want: they want to hide evidence that will embarrass the Government, I suspect.

The Government has pushed forward with an unprecedented Bill. This is an unprecedented Bill, a Bill that we have never seen the likes of before and hopefully will not again.

To know that the Government is extinguishing the rights of Victorians is shameful. Frankly it is tampering with underlying principles of how our legal system operates. I know that the Member for Malvern is in the Chamber and will certainly speak far more eloquently than I on these matters.

I will leave my comments by saying this is a very dark and dangerous day where the Government is tampering with the underlying principles of the legal system and legal rights of Victorians.

The Member for Malvern has most eloquently, since the Government has introduced this Bill, worked in the broader community and with the legal fraternity to point out the issues and concerns that I think have come to the attention now of Australia with a recognition that the law is being used to whitewash the rights of
Victorians and hide the truth of bad behaviour of this Government.