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FACT SHEET
CRIMINAL CODE AMENDMENT (DANGEROUS
DOGS) BILL 2013
The purpose of this Bill is to introduce in to the Criminal Code
Act 1924 an offence in relation to a dangerous or restricted
breed dog that kills a person or causes grievous bodily harm to
a person. This offence is included in the Criminal Code to signify
the seriousness of the offence it will be an indictable offence
and therefore a convicted person may be subject to
imprisonment of up to 21 years.
This is the Government's second legislative reform on this
matter, the first being an amendment to the Criminal Code Act
contained within the Crime (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2013
which was passed by this House in April of this year. This
amendment sought to clarify that a "dangerous thing" in
Section 150 of the Criminal Code could include an inanimate or
animate object, such as a dog or other animal.
This amendment goes further by creating a specific offence in
relation to attacks by dangerous or restricted breed dogs that
result in the death of a person or causes grievous bodily harm
to a person. This amendment forms part of a commitment that
Tasmania made to the Standing Council on Law and Justice.