28 September 2009

Drink driving to further fund the Canberra Times?

| johnboy
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The ABC has the happy news that Jon Stanhope is thinking about ways to turn the rising drink driving arrest rate into another Government advertising opportunity:

    Chief Minister Jon Stanhope says he is considering publishing the names of drink drivers on a government website or in a Canberra Times advertisement.

But why stop with drink drivers? I’d love to see courts in the ACT publishing more information (and in a more timely manner) on all their deliberations.

Government publication of criminal convictions

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UPDATED: The Liberals’ Jeremy Hanson appears to have become over-excited by this and has put out an error riddled media release which does, however, bring up the elephant in the room:

    “Mr Stanhope should also consider the message that he is sending to the community on DUI while one of his Ministers, Mr Hargreaves, retains a prominent position in his Labor Government,”

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bigred said :

Want to drink and drive? Go down to to the local liquor, buy your drink of choice and go home and drink it. When you run out repeat the previous step as often as you like after all its safer sitting in your car then walking. Chances of being caught equal to nearly zero unless you run into something or someone.

True but dangerous none the less

monomania said :

TP3000, if you want to live in a totalitarian society go and find one. Don’t you and your ilk try and turn ours into one.

I don’t see how my comment would lead to that sort of society? Unless you are talking about the Civil Libertarian bit, in my mind they go too far. The Liberals bitch & moan about the Government, the public bitch & moan about politics & everything else. But Civil Libertarians go too far in their bitching & moaning

I remember the notices in the CT back in the day, I didn’t realise it stopped so long ago though. Same as they used to have “neighbourhood watch” stories of crimes such as house burglarly and assault in the Chronicle which asked for any information. Now you wouldn’t know a thing about it.

A Noisy Noise Annoys An Oyster said :

The Canberra Times used to publish the full names and addresses of all those charged with drink driving every day – it was the most keenly read part of the paper.

… and it was known as the Social Pages. But I reckon thiefs and mad crashers and bashers etc should also be pilloried.

Very little by way of random testing going on here. From what I hear they rock up in a car park near a drinking venue and test people on their way out. So they deal with drink drivers in the major centres. Want to drink and drive? Go down to to the local liquor, buy your drink of choice and go home and drink it. When you run out repeat the previous step as often as you like after all its safer sitting in your car then walking. Chances of being caught equal to nearly zero unless you run into something or someone.

Re #13 any reason why the editor stopped naming those caught?

vandam: Sure, and as I said in my original comment (on the other thread), it’s a big worry that approximately 1 in 50 drivers that I share the road with are on the turps. I’m just responding to the comment in the article about the “rising drink driving arrest rate“, when the evidence says the rate is staying constant (which is bad enough).

How about all offenders to display pink D-plates for a year or so? It’d stop people wondering whether older P-platers were actually new to the roads, or drink drivers.

I concur with monomania’s original outburst

caf said :

As I noted on the police media release thread, the drink-driving rate has not increased at all – it’s actually gone down by a tiny amount. They’re catching more because they’re testing more.

Maybe your missing the point caf. More tests have resulted in more people getting caught. Doesn’t it worry you that there are many people getting away with drink driving every night?

monomania said :

TP3000, if you want to live in a totalitarian society go and find one. Don’t you and your ilk try and turn ours into one.

That was a stupid statement. You have a right to your opinion and to express it and I wouldn’t like to live in a place that didn’t grant that right.

The courts have their own websites, which publish some selected rulings. Surely if they were serious about publishing these details, it could be done using the courts own resources rather than outsourcing. Supreme court rulings seem to be listed more often than magistrates court rulings, but I presume the data must be in digital form someplace.

This also seems only one step away from being able to have a public police-records check, only indexed by google instead of the AFP.

Growling Ferret said :

The old school public riducule of those who were caught DUI no longer exists now that the public shaming in each days CT is over.

Name and shame.

Make anyone who is found guilty of a crime wear a bright pink shirt around with their offence written on the back.
What’s the bet those annoying Civil Libertarians will complain & get this stopped?

Really the names & results of every conviction should be published, wether it be a pussy 9 year old who bashed a 98 year old or a 35 brainless drunk. But in the publication they should put degrading words in front of the name like pussy or even worse things that I won’t say at the moment.

probaly stopped because of “privacy” laws – load of rubbish.

name and shame

And then this list would be posted on Riot ACT or other blogs and forums. Indexed and archived for posterity.

Be a blight on peoples lives, and in the case of drink driving and many other offenses be far in excess of what most of society would regard as fair.

In the case of other offenses completely isolated from the court case and sentencing statements.

And for children, impose an unfair penalty beyond what is recognised in civilised societies as the rights of the child.

TP3000, if you want to live in a totalitarian society go and find one. Don’t you and your ilk try and turn ours into one.

The Canberra Times used to publish the full names and addresses of all those charged with drink driving every day – it was the most keenly read part of the paper. The practice was stopped in 1994 under the editorship of Michelle Grattan.

Thus one less reason to buy the CT. And since the chronicle provides plenty of material to line the cats box, I don’t waste my money….

A Noisy Noise Annoys An Oyster12:31 pm 20 May 09

The Canberra Times used to publish the full names and addresses of all those charged with drink driving every day – it was the most keenly read part of the paper. The practice was stopped in 1994 under the editorship of Michelle Grattan.

As I noted on the police media release thread, the drink-driving rate has not increased at all – it’s actually gone down by a tiny amount. They’re catching more because they’re testing more.

yeah but what is it really going to achieve? for some it would be a badge of honor to see their name published in the paper

What’s the bet those annoying Civil Libertarians will complain & get this stopped?

Really the names & results of every conviction should be published, wether it be a pussy 9 year old who bashed a 98 year old or a 35 brainless drunk. But in the publication they should put degrading words in front of the name like pussy or even worse things that I won’t say at the moment

chewy14 said :

Make anyone who is found guilty of a crime wear a bright pink shirt around with their offence written on the back.

You really need to read ‘The Scarlet Letter’.

Make anyone who is found guilty of a crime wear a bright pink shirt around with their offence written on the back.

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy11:14 am 20 May 09

Blame and maim.

Clown Killer said :

Name and shame.

probaly stopped because of “privacy” laws – load of rubbish.

name and shame

Clown Killer11:05 am 20 May 09

Name and shame.

DarkLadyWolfMother10:54 am 20 May 09

Didn’t the CT publish court results ‘back in the day’?

Growling Ferret10:51 am 20 May 09

The old school public riducule of those who were caught DUI no longer exists now that the public shaming in each days CT is over.

This also means that people are able to keep their conviction and loss of licence on the quiet and choose to continue driving every day unlicenced, and thus uninsured, and then a complete public menace.

barking toad10:48 am 20 May 09

The mayor is already spending a shitload on nanny advice. Wash your hands and don’t cough in anyone’s face. That’ll stop the babe flu.

I they insist on running drink driving ads, the minister for lunch should be the image we get.

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