📜 Bail Amendment Bill 1998

Assented toLCBill 1710 September 1998

The Bail Amendment Bill 1998 amends the Bail Act 1982 to restrict bail powers in certain cases, extend Schedule 1, Part C, clause 3A, to persons on parole, insert another matter to be considered in making the decision to grant or refuse bail, amend bail conditions, and include further offences in the definition of serious offence.

Impact

This bill affects defendants, judicial officers, authorized officers, and the community. It aims to strengthen bail laws, particularly for repeat offenders and those who breach restraining orders, potentially reducing crime rates but also increasing the number of people held in remand.

Key Changes

["Restricts bail powers to a court or a Judge in certain cases involving serious offences committed while on bail or an early release order.", "Extends Schedule 1, Part C, clause 3A, to persons on parole or under an early release order.", "Inserts a new consideration for bail decisions: whether the alleged circumstances of the offence amount to wrongdoing of such a serious nature as to make a grant of bail inappropriate.", "Increases the fine for breaching a bail condition to $10,000."]