Minister seeks advice from LRAC on Crimes Amendment Bill

Attorney General, Simon Corbell, has announced that he will refer proposed changes to the law on self-defence involving assaults on police and other officers to the Law Reform Advisory Council (LRAC) for an inquiry.

Mr Corbell said he had received representations from the legal community about the bill and had listened to their concerns.

"Over the past week, I have reflected on the representations that were made to me, and as a result came to the conclusion that such an important matter should be further examined.

"It's important that we get the position right on this issue and I believe a detailed inquiry from the ACT's LRAC is an appropriate forum to examine these issues," Mr Corbell said.

"I am formally referring the issue of self-defence and assaults on police to the chair of the council Associate Professor Simon Rice OAM for the council's consideration.

"This will ensure that a full spectrum of issues can be worked through by experts in the legal community with representatives from prosecution and defence lawyers, Legal Aid, legal academics and the police all represented on the panel."

The Crimes Legislation Amendment Bill 2011 was introduced late last year and set out to improve sentencing considerations for offences against police officers, emergency service workers, care and protection workers, nurses and other officials providing a service to the public.

"I think it is sensible to consult with representatives from the legal community through LRAC so that further expert advice can be provided to the Government before the Bill is considered further.