Today I came across another Bill, this time in the Commonwealth Parliament (in this current session), that I believed was worth talking about. This Bill (Criminal Code Amendment (Harming Australians)
It is my understanding that the Bill aims to address the issue of causing significant harm to an Australian citizen overseas. This means that it would allow for the prosecution of individuals who harm Australians outside of Australia (through murder, manslaughter or intentional/reckless behaviour before 1 October 2002). I think that this is a great initiative and Bill that needs to be enacted, as it would ensure that Australian's harmed overseas have access to the same level of justice.
The current law reveals that after 2002, those who harm Australians can be charged, but not those actions that occur before 2002. Therefore, it means it would work retroactively- impacting all those events of harming Australians before 2002. The reason this was first brought in was in response to the Bali Bombings in 2002, but I believe that everyone should have the same rules and levels of justice- such that it would allow for the appropriate prosecution of violent criminals. Essentially, it will expand the volume of involvement of Australian law enforcement, in relation to the victims of violent crimes, before 1 October 2002, outside Australia.
The Above video provides some context on the heartache of the Bali Bombings, and the need for this legislation to be enacted, to provide justice for the families of the victims in other attacks of harming Australians overseas, before 2002.
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