Arabic version: معارضة كوينزلاند تطرح مشروع قانون بشأن الخنق

According to ABC News, Queensland’s opposition has introduced a private members’ bill seeking to put recommendations from a review of non-fatal strangulation laws into legislation.

The Queensland Law Reform Commission delivered its report in September last year after a review prompted by a Queensland Audit Office finding that 51 per cent of strangulation charges resulted in a conviction. The commission made 18 recommendations, identifying barriers to proving strangulation, including the absence of visible injuries.

The report recommended changing the definition of bodily harm from strangulation to include complete or partial restriction of blood circulation or breathing. It said this would help ensure that a lack of physical-injury evidence did not prevent an assault occasioning bodily harm charge.

Opposition leader Steven Miles said the report had not been acted on for 394 days. Opposition Attorney-General Meaghan Scanlon said the proposed measures would create an aggravated strangulation offence with a maximum penalty of 14 years, compared with seven years for a non-aggravated offence, and could allow matters to be dealt with in the Magistrates Court.

Attorney-General Deb Frecklington said the government was working through the recommendations and accused Labor of running a scare campaign. She said Queensland already has an offence for strangulation and choking in a domestic setting.