What Ralph and Kathy would like to see is an offence that deals specifically with the death of a person as a result of a violent / criminal act but does not reach the necessary threshold to establish 'murder'. At present 'manslaughter' appears to be the catch-all offence for every death that doesn't satisfy the elements of a murder offence. We believe there has to be an 'in between' area between accidental death that occurs in tragic circumstances and the offence of 'murder', with minimum sentences being applied.
In September 2013, the Foundation was appointed by the City of Sydney to conduct a Citizens Jury which mirrors the process underway for the South Australian Parliament through Premier Jay Weatherill.
Importantly, the City of Sydney’s role is complemented by the commitment of Premier O’Farrell to table the results of the Jury’s deliberations into Parliament verbatim and unedited – meaning that the projects underway in SA and NSW both come with equivalent levels of pre-agreed authority.
The City of Sydney has commissioned the Thomas Kelly Youth Foundation to collaborate with not-for-profit research group New Democracy Foundation to develop a new approach to tackling the problems of alcohol-fuelled late night violence.
From a pool of 20,000 metropolitan citizens, they will convene a Citizens’ Policy Jury of 43 randomly selected participants to begin meeting in February 2014.
The family of Sydney teenager Thomas Kelly, who was killed in Kings Cross, have described a bid by the state's peak liquor lobby group to gain access to police evidence in the case as commercially motivated and ''a gross invasion of privacy''.
The Australian Hotels Association NSW branch has submitted an application to the NSW Police under freedom-of-information laws, seeking a copy of the ''event narrative made in relation to the alleged manslaughter of Thomas Kelly''.
The NSW Government does not estimate or report the total cost of alcohol abuse. The Audit Office of New South Wales’ sponsored research estimates it costs the government over $1 billion a year, or around $416 from each NSW household.
“If social costs are included, the total cost of alcohol abuse in New South Wales is around $3.87 billion per annum, or about $1,565 from each household,” said Mr Achterstraat.
Alcohol-fuelled violence has had devastating consequences for my family.
Alcohol-fuelled violence fills our hospitals each week, causes horrific injuries, and in the case of our family, the loss, one year ago today, of our son Thomas. Thousands upon thousands of Australians are affected every year.
My question for you, Premier, is: ''Are you and your government fully addressing the issue?" Can you honestly say that you are doing everything to prevent the horror inflicted on my family that fateful night last year?
The family of slain Sydney youth Thomas Kelly has waited a year for justice but his killer's plea of manslaughter has left them feeling beaten and bewildered by the legal system.
Kieran Loveridge, 19, had been charged with murder but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge on Tuesday.
He did not express emotion and only said "Yes ma'am" to Magistrate Harriet Grahame when asked to confirm his plea in Central Local Court in Sydney.
In exchange, the NSW Department of Public Prosecutions withdrew the more serious charge of murder as part of a plea deal.
Loveridge will also be given a significant discount to his sentence for pleading before a costly trial.
With time already spent in custody, he is expected to serve a fraction of the time he would if convicted of murder.
A trauma surgeon at Liverpool Hospital, John Crozier, says that information is not automatically recorded when patients are brought into emergency departments across the state.
Regardless, Crozier says, the number of alcohol-related injuries are on the rise throughout the country. Particularly concerning, he says, is that 20,000 alcohol-related domestic violence cases every year involve children.
In response to what it sees as governments' reluctance to act against the powerful alcohol and hoteliers' lobbies, The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons is campaigning against what it calls an epidemic of avoidable tragedies.
In article published in the Sydney Morning Herald, NSW's top police officer - Andrew Scipione -
talks about the annual costs to the NSW Police in dealing with alcohol
related harms.
King's School Headmaster and Foundation Director, Dr Tim Hawkes, says reforms to alcohol-fuelled violence is not going to happen unless it targets the main problem, which is excessive drinking. In article published in the Sydney Morning Herald, Dr. Hawkes writes:
"About 10 per cent of our heaviest drinkers consume about 50 per cent of our alcohol. The alcohol industry relies heavily on big drinkers for their profit. Society needs to target those times and those places that lend themselves to heavy drinking.
ABC TV's Four Corners reporter, Janine Cohen tells the story of one young man who
did nothing more than take his girlfriend out to a club. Without
provocation he was attacked, his skull fractured and his life changed
forever. The story of alcohol abuse didn't end there. His attacker,
who'd consumed 10 cans of bourbon and cola, was arrested, found guilty
and sentenced to six years jail. His family was devastated.
Despite such occurrences, the Australian Hotels Association (AHA)
argues that alcohol isn't the only cause of violence and its increasing
intensity. The organisation claims that drugs are the real problem and
that people must take more personal responsibility.
"Well it's a society problem, it's not the AHA's problem. The AHA
work closely with the community, work closely with government, works
closely with police to ensure they provide safe venues."
Out on the streets, Four Corners found a rather different picture.
Accompanying police on patrol, it soon became clear that alcohol and
violence are close companions. The cameras captured the moment when
police themselves are attacked, and go with the paramedics who are
forced to clean up the carnage after violence flares. At the hospital
emergency ward things are no better. Doctors and nurses are forced to
tend to a constant stream of people who've become victims of
alcohol-related violence.
This
week, we lodged and incorporated "The Thomas Kelly Youth Foundation" a
not for profit charitable institution established and located in
Australia.
Tom was killed after he was struck in the head in an
unprovoked attack on Victoria Street in Kings Cross in July 2012. The
Foundation is to honour Thomas - with an objective of making our streets
and cities safer places through a number of key strategies.
The principal object of the Company is to reduce alcohol-related
violence and anti-social behaviour amongst young people in Australia by
raising community awareness and contributing to the formation of
government regulation and industry practice.
The principal
activity of the Company is the promotion of the prevention or the
control of human behaviour that is harmful or abusive to human beings,
including but not restricted to behaviour arising from substance abuse
relating to alcohol consumption.
We will officially launch the
foundation in 2013. Change will only be effected with the community
having one voice. We will be looking for your support next year.
Thank you for all of your kindness given to our family over the last 5
months, we are grateful and humble to have so many caring people
surround us with love.
