That the Senate—

(a) notes that, despite the recently-announced agreement between the Prime Minister (Mr Howard) and the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory (Mr Burke), mandatory sentencing laws remain in Western Australia and the Northern Territory;

(b) acknowledges that the existence of these laws breaches international human rights treaties and is contrary to the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody; and

(c) notes that:

(i) the agreement between the Prime Minister and Mr Burke does not address Western Australia's mandatory sentencing regime, and

(ii) mandatory sentencing is inconsistent with the separation of powers, the right to a fair and impartial trial, and provisions of the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights.