In NSW, a shoplifter who is caught will from now on just get a ticket and a fine of $300. No conviction will be recorded, and there will be no court appearance. Meanwhile in WA, a barmaid who crushed a beer can between her breasts was fined $1000; her boss got the same fine again.
Does this make sense? I suppose it does, in the same way that it makes sense that a driver who kills a motorcyclist because he had ‘a momentary lapse of attention’ (according to his lawyer) gets community service. The family of the dead motorcyclist gets… well, it gets to live without its brother, father, son…
I was warned many years ago that there is a difference between law and justice, but I always thought that was one of those smart comments made by people who, well, just wanted to be smart. I no longer think so.
A few days ago as I write this, a New Zealand motorcyclist was literally – literally! – cut in half by a stretch of wire rope ‘cheese cutter’ fencing. According to some sources, eight motorcyclists have been killed by this detestable stuff in Australia. And yet more and more of it is put up.
As far as I know, nobody has yet been killed by the new ‘Aunty Jack’ (named that because they’ll tear your arm off) end plates on Armco fencing. It’s only a matter of time.
Applying the same scale that fines a barmaid a thousand bucks for showing off the strength of her chest, what should a death on the wire or the Armco cost the bureaucrat who proposed them and the Minister who approved them?
But of course they won’t even be punished by the shoplifter’s scale. They’ll get promoted and re-elected because they’ve done something about road safety.
Justice? Don’t make me laugh.
2 comments:
Thre has been a recent death within a couple of ks of where we live, the victim was cut to pieces.
The main reaction from the authorities was "caused by speeding"In Tas we have a minister for " road safety" who refuses to acknowledge the dangers of the w2ire ropes, refuses to believe that defensive driving should be a condition of obtaining a drivers license, despite the fact that all of our emergency services people undertake defensive driving, and these people appear to have a low accident rate.No revenue raising in driver education is there.
The minister for road deaths used to be a motor sport competitor(not very sucessful)Sureley these politicions can only stick thier heads up their own backside for so long untill public opinion removes them???
It's important to prioritize justice over mere punishment.
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