Tuesday, 31 March 2026

 Ryan BATCHELOR (Southern Metropolitan) (18:05): (2447) My adjournment matter tonight is for the Attorney-General, and the action that I seek is an update on the government’s plan to introduce laws to ban good character references as a mitigating factor in sentencing. Labor believes it is not right that perpetrators of serious crimes have access to good character references to be considered as a mitigation in sentencing – that is why we are going to ban them and put victims first. Crimes for which courts have considered good character references in the past have included rape, other violent crimes and child sex offences.

For victims of crime to have to sit, listen to and endure statements in court about how the perpetrator who harmed them is a ‘good character’, a good person, can be a traumatic moment, one that diminishes their experience. Those who commit horrific crimes such as these must be held accountable without excuses. We believe that good character references to reduce a convicted criminal’s sentence are wrong. They do nothing for anyone else involved in the process except further traumatise victims. We should not forget Labor’s proposed legislation is the result of vocal campaigning from child sex abuse survivors and their Your Reference Ain’t Relevant campaign. Labor stands with them. We believe that they and other victims of crime should be put first, rather than offenders.