DAVID GARRETT (ACT): I am taking a call on the Animal Welfare Amendment Bill. I did not intend to but I am afraid that I cannot sit here and not do so, given the sanctimonious warbling from the other side and the familiar sound from the Greens. I refer to the references that Mr Nash made. Almost word for word, he repeated my leader’s speech on the Sentencing and Parole Reform Bill. He said that the Animal Welfare Amendment Bill sends a message that this kind of conduct simply will not be tolerated, and he is right; that is what it is for. That is why we are voting to increase penalties.

But members on that side of the Chamber did not see fit to support having increased penalties for hurting humans. In my 18 months in the House, this is the first time that the Greens have supported anything that increases sentencing. Ms Kedgley, in response to an interjection, has just said that they are doing that only because there is a new section, inserted by new clause 5, introducing the charges of wilful ill-treatment and reckless ill-treatment of animals. The Green Party should be consistent and vote against the provisions to increase sentences, because, in their world view, increasing sentences has absolutely no effect on human behaviour.

I call upon those members to be the principled party that they claim to be. They should support the part of the bill that incorporates the new section on wilful and reckless ill-treatment, but they should vote against the clauses increasing penalties because they are ineffective. But I do not think that that party will do it. The reason is that they do not dare to go against a motherhood-and-apple-pie measure like this that no one in this Chamber could possibly disagree with. Our party certainly does not disagree with it, which is why we are very happy to support it. But in saying that, I say that our concern is just as great for people. It would be great if members on the other side of the Chamber shared the concern for humans that is being expressed here for animals. It would also be great if they supported having increased penalties for violence against humans. Thank you.