Tougher punishments for child sex offenders, strengthening penalties for criminals using children to commit crimes, and safeguarding the State’s live music venues were among an extensive list of legislative changes to hit Parliament this week.

The Malinauskas Labor Government’s major legislative agenda followed the Federal Government’s uptake of South Australia’s plans to ban children from social media

This week the Government passed legislation through at least one house:

*To create the toughest penalties in the nation for criminals who recruit children to commit crimes;
*That will deliver indefinite detention for repeat serious child sex offenders;
*To save the Cranker;
*To increase consumer protections for retirement village residents;
*To deliver major reform to the motor vehicle driver training sector;
*To strengthen bail laws for terror suspects;
*To strengthen protections for individuals who suffer identity theft;
*To extend portable long service leave to workers in the community services sector in South Australia;
*To ensure small businesses receive government payments on invoices in a timely manner;
*To strengthen Aboriginal heritage laws;
*To codify the common law rule of forfeiture;
*To help the Public Trustee become more efficient;
*To ensure Aboriginal people can give evidence about their own laws and customs in court;
*To close a loophole in the spent convictions framework;
*To update outdated explosives legislation;
*To close a loophole that allowed repeat motor vehicle offenders to avoid additional penalties;
*To allow the Government to deliver its budget commitments.
The Government introduced legislation:
*To give the Small Business Commissioner greater powers to mediate and resolve small business disputes;
*To create tougher penalties for people who abuse and neglect animals;
*To ban LGBTQIA+ conversion practices in South Australia;
*To deliver ongoing monitoring of the greyhound industry in line with the recommendations of an independent inquiry;
*To protect consumers from incurring costs of being left with unfinished shared infrastructure around residential builds – similar to that which occurred due to the collapse of Felmeri;
*To protect the community from claim farming;
*And to keep high risk offenders laws strong.

Quotes

Attributable to Peter Malinauskas

We are getting on with the job and delivering on what we said we would do.

Whether it’s safe-guarding the State’s live music venues into the future, ensuring the punishment fits the most abhorrent crimes, or protecting our young and vulnerable – we are wasting no time.

This is a Government with a strong legislative agenda, and there’s plenty more to come.

The contrast with our political opponents could not be clearer.