Lawyers to challenge new NT bail laws
Lawyers have launched a High Court challenge to the Northern Territory’s overhauled bail laws arguing they are unlawful and are “punishment without trial”.
The North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency filed papers yesterday, claiming the laws imposed an “impossibly high threshold” for bail and punished people who had not been found guilty of an offence.
“These new laws mean more and more Aboriginal people in the NT are being locked up when they haven’t been convicted of any crime,” NAAJA chairperson Theresa Roe told the ABC.
Fatal stabbing prompted change
“NAAJA sees many people who have been sent to prison because of these laws who have later had their charges withdrawn, essentially serving time for crimes they have not committed.”
Changes to the bail laws were rushed through the NT parliament in May after a fatal stabbing at a Darwin supermarket.
Owner Linford Feick died in the incident and Phillip Randel Maurice Parry was charged with the murder. Parry was on bail at the time.
NT Chief Minister Lia Finnochiaro was unapologetic about the change.
NT Chief Minister Lia Finnochiaro said at the time the new laws would push more people into jail.
NAAJA chief executive Ben Grimes said yesterday several hundred people were likely being held in custody “unlawfully and unconstitutionally”.
He said about 1,100 people were in jail and hadn’t been found guilty of any offence.
Mr Grimes said he hoped the High Court challenge would put an end to parliament “trying to tell judges how to do their job”.
