Arrogant Attorney-General to blame as government goes back to the drawing board.

Media Release.

The Newman government will have yet another go at re-drafting its failed sex offender legislation after its hurried and botched new laws collapsed in the Court of Appeal.

Deputy Opposition Leader Tim Mulherin said now that Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie had flopped so resoundingly with his Criminal Law Amendment (Public Interest Declarations) Amendment Bill 2013, he was hurriedly trying to amend his own failures by indicating today that he would re-draft the laws.

“These are the facts – Mr Bleijie understands that his new laws were so poorly formed and fundamentally so badly written that they were ruled invalid by the Court of Appeal,” Mr Mulherin said."

“He understands fully that his laws have collapsed because he thought he knew better than every lawyer in the state so he didn’t ask for a second opinion before they were rushed through the Parliament under the cover of darkness, using the LNP’s huge majority."

“He understands that because he did not consult and because he failed to examine the existing laws around sex offenders and instead dreamt up his own botched legislation, they have been thrown out by the court."

“Now –because of this dismal failure – he is going back to the drawing board."

“It is now blindingly clear that the job of Attorney-General is completely beyond him."

“If these laws need to be re-drafted yet again, that should be the job of a new first law officer and either Mr Bleijie does the right thing and resigns over this debacle or the Premier should see the writing on the wall and sack him."

“Instead of going back to the drawing board, Mr Bleijie should just go and let a competent Attorney-General draft any new laws."

“It’s going to take an Attorney-General with much more experience and who does not believe he knows better than everyone to fix this mess of Mr Bleijie’s making.”

Mr Mulherin said despite the Attorney-General’s efforts to skirt around the fact that he had gotten it wrong, he needed to take responsibility for the failure which has seen a notorious sex offender released from prison.

“Mr Bleijie now realises that he should have consulted with the Bar Association and the Law Society. He has admitted as much today by saying that when the laws are yet again re-drafted he will this time consult."

“It was clear from the start that these laws would fall over – only the arrogant members of this LNP government refused to see that.”