Crimes Amendment (Strengthening the Criminal Justice Response to Sexual Violence) Bill 2024

The majority voted against a motion introduced by Queensland Senator Larissa Waters (Greens), which means it failed. It would have added the text below to the usual second reading motion, which is "that the bill be read a second time" (parliamentary jargon for agreeing with the main idea of the bill).

Motion text

At the end of the motion, add ", but the Senate:

(a) notes that:

(i) in 2019 the Family Law Act 1975 was amended to ban personal cross-examination of parties where there are allegations of family violence between the examining party and the witness party, and

(ii) it is time the same protection was afforded to victim-survivors of sexual violence; and

(b) calls on the Government to prohibit personal cross-examination of a victim-survivor by the accused".