Nationals Member for Northern Tablelands, Brendan Moylan, is calling on the NSW Government to introduce wide-ranging legislative reform to protect the community from repeat serious offenders.
Mr Moylan is urging the Minns Labor Government to stop tinkering at the edges of the youth crime crisis and deliver major legislative reforms to ensure regional communities can start to feel safe again in their homes.
"Those of us who live in regional NSW are fed up with the amount of serious crime in our towns," he said.
"This isn't just a Moree problem; it's a regional NSW problem."
Mr Moylan said there needs to be wide-ranging bail reforms so that courts cannot grant bail to repeat serious offenders, whether they are aged 14 or 40.
"It's obvious that the bail reforms from 12 months ago are not working," he said.
"The community is sick and tired of offences allegedly being committed by offenders who are already on bail or who have criminal records longer than your arm. The community is also fed up with inadequate sentences being handed down by the courts.
"The Minns Labor Government needs to take real action so that courts are obligated to impose hard-hitting sentences on serious repeat offenders, whatever their age.
"Sentencing legislation in NSW is a lawyer's picnic which allows the offender's mitigating factors, such as age and background, to have as much weight as the harm that has been caused to the victim."
Mr Moylan said it's up to the Minns Labor Government to change the laws so the harm that has been caused to the victim is of greater importance than the offender's age.
"The Moree pilot program that has been in place for almost 12 months isn't working. We need urgent legislative reform to protect regional communities because, so far, this government has been nothing but soft on crime.
"The Minns Labor government needs to look at what Queensland and the Northern Territory are doing and get tough on law and order. Those of us who live in country towns deserve to feel safe.
"Enough is enough."
