SENIORS — ASSAULTS AGAINST
616. Mr S.K. L'ESTRANGE to the Attorney General:
I refer to recommendation 16 of the September 2018 report of
the Select Committee into Elder Abuse —
Circumstances of aggravation for
property offences in the Criminal Code should be broadened to include where a victim
is aged 60 years or more.
After two years since this report was brought down, why has
the Attorney General not made these changes to the Criminal Code to protect
elderly Western Australians?
Mr J.R. QUIGLEY
replied:
It was the Labor government,
of course, that introduced circumstances of aggravation for elder abuse, and it
was the Labor government that increased the penalties for elder abuse by
nearly 50 per cent. We treat all circumstances of elder abuse with the utmost seriousness. There are a range of penalties
and amendments currently under investigation for the Criminal Code. As the member knows, we have pursued a very, very
aggressive reform agenda, and penalties of the nature that the member is
talking about are under active consideration.