news.com.au
September 14, 2011
http://www.news.com.au/national/hinch-case-shows-need-for-law-reform-says-nick-xenophon/story-e6frfkvr-1226136930083
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| Courts out of touch with community says Chanel Hinch (above left) and Nick Xenophon. Derryn Hinch (above right) is under house arrest and gagged from speaking to the media after he named convicted sex offenders. Picture: File |
NICK Xenophon, free after naming an alleged rapist in Parliament, says laws that gagged and detained "name them and shame them" crusader Derryn Hinch should be reformed.
Senator Xenophon told news.com.au Victorian laws "were demonstrably out of touch with community views and community concerns”.
Hinch, serving five months home detention, cannot praise the maverick Senator for naming the accused rapist – but his wife Chanel Hinch did just a few hours ago exclusively to news.com.au
“What this does is highlight the ludicrousness of the law currently in place in Victoria. This has to change soon," she said.
“I applaud Senator Xenophon for naming in Parliament last night a Catholic priest accused of sexual abuse.’’
News.com.au sought permission to interview Hinch from the Attorney General but this was denied.
A spokesperson for Victorian Attorney General said Hinch could not be spoken to and another for the Melbourne Magistrate’s court said this would not change unless a legal challenge was mounted to the existing court order banning him from speaking publicly.
Hinch was placed under home detention in July this year and gagged from working as a journalist or speaking to the media after he named two convicted sex offenders at a public rally and then again on his personal blog in 2008.
Lawyers acting for Mr Hinch fought all the matter way to the High Court, arguing that Victoria’s Sex Offenders Monitoring Act was unconstitutional because court proceedings must be conducted publicly but lost the case.
Hinch, who is currently recovering from a life-saving liver transplant, was sentenced to five months house arrest and banned from carrying out any media-related work including blogging, tweeting or giving interviews.
The court also banned others from carrying out media work for him.
Senator Xenophon said he had received overwhelming public support for his decision to name a priest accused of raping Adelaide-based Anglican Archbishop John Hepworth about 40 years ago. He would continue his push for action by the Church.
“Today I have received a large volume of correspondence from constituents expressing serious concern about the way their claims of abuse have been processed by the Catholic Church in South Australia, and I will be working with those people in the coming days,” he said.
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