Harrison James

It was made up of 16 members in that council.

Fourteen agreed with the broad abolition of good character references across all crimes.

And that's why the New South Wales government came to the recommendation it did, because there was an evidence base that was established.

But the reality is, Chris, that the New South Wales government doesn't hold a majority in the upper house, and politics absolutely played a role in this.

And unfortunately, survivors of domestic violence, victims of homicide and other violent crime types like that, they got caught up in the middle of parliamentary point scoring because the Greens and the Coalition, they saw it as an opportunity

to get one over on the government.

And I'm genuinely perplexed that politicians from the Greens and Coalition are willing to stand up publicly and defend preserving good character references for domestic violence perpetrators, murderers and neo-Nazis, for example.

And that seems wildly out of touch with community expectations.

And I don't say any of that to be hyperbolic.

I say it because that's the reality of what's played out.

Well, the evidence base from the New South Wales Sentencing Council points to the contrary.

And, you know, misidentification specifically is an incredibly serious issue and it deserves serious and targeted legislative reform.

I know the Aboriginal Legal Service as well, you know, they were opposed to this.

And I understand where they're coming from because...

the over-representation of First Nations people in the justice system is real and deeply important.

But those are front-end systemic issues that we see within the legal system, you know, but not post-conviction where this sensing practice, this bill dealt with a very specific, you know, post-conviction sensing practice.

So I think where DV in New South Wales, where the Greens and the Coalition are coming from,

I understand the severity of the issues, but I feel strongly that jeopardising this survivor-led reform, it was never the appropriate mechanism to address those broader concerns.

But, you know, it's all part of a bigger cultural shift that still needs to happen, I think, and it was deeply disappointing to see the Greens and the Coalition play politics with something so serious.

Victoria has committed to introducing legislation mid-year.