Tasmanians who film their crimes and brag about them online could face tougher sentences under draft laws released for public comment.
The state government on Wednesday opened consultation on its “post and boast” legislation, which would change the Sentencing Act 1997.
The bill creates a new factor for courts to weigh when sentencing offenders who glorify their crimes on platforms such as TikTok and Snapchat.
It would let judges treat that online bragging as something that makes an offence more serious.
Attorney-General Guy Barnett said the change delivered on a government commitment.
“The Tasmanian government is cracking down on offenders who boast about their crimes online or social media,” he said.
“This delivers on the government’s commitment under our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future to strengthen sentencing laws and better protect victims.”
The government says boasting online can re-traumatise victims and lead to public ridicule, humiliation or shaming.
The new section would apply where an offender publishes statements, images or videos about an offence or victim to brag about or glorify the crime.
It covers any digital message, whether sent to the public or just a few selected people and is not limited to viral public posts.
A private message sent to a small group to brag about an offence could also be caught.
The factor also applies where a post simply “resulted in the glorification” of an offence, even if the offender did not mean for that to happen.
The state government says courts can already treat posting and boasting as aggravating, but argues a specific law will recognise the extra harm done to victims when crimes are shared online.
“This is another important law reform by the Tasmanian government to stamp out dangerous and harmful crime,” Barnett said.
Submissions close at midnight on July 19.
