Canberra lawyers urge caution on ACT Opposition's proposed bail law review

Liberals spokesman Jeremy Hanson called for a "timely" and "reasonable" review of the bail legislation on the Legislative Assembly's first sitting day of the year on Monday.

"I'm not calling for a knee-jerk response in any regard," he said. "Other jurisdictions are conducting reviews, I think that's the right way to go."

ACT Attorney-General Gordon Ramsay didn't believe an extensive check-up of the laws was warranted and said the government would not support it.

"The system the ACT has is robust, and recognises both the presumption of innocence and the need to protect community safety," he said.

The Victorian government flagged a legislative shake-up amid widespread outrage that an after-hours bail justice allowed offender Dimitrious Gargasoulas to be released on bail one week before he allegedly killed six people in the rampage last month.

ACT Bar Association president Ken Archer spoke out against the proposed review and said while the events in Victoria were tragic, little would be gained from a review until the facts of that case were known.

The territory's bail system differs significantly from Victoria's, where volunteer bail justices can grant alleged offenders bail.

In the ACT, only the courts have power to grant people bail once they have been refused release by police.

Mr Archer said information systems in the ACT were sound and police had the ability to place all relevant information before a magistrate or judge deciding bail matters.

He expected the government would analyse a review by former Victorian Supreme Court judge and Director of Public Prosecutions Paul Coghlan of that state's bail laws, due in May.

"It is too early to say if the Victorian events have relevance for the ACT," he said.

"To call for a review now serves only to cause unease when our bail laws already provide very strong protections for the community."

ACT Law Society president Sarah Avery said any review of the existing legislation would need to be considered and evidence-based.

"The society would not support a hasty response prompted by the tragic events that have occurred in other jurisdictions."

Mr Hanson said it was important to make sure the territory's bail laws were appropriate and were being enacted in the right way to prevent injuries or deaths and keep the community safe.

"We've seen some tragic circumstances evolve where the individual involved in the Bourke Street incident in Victoria was on bail at the time.

"There have been a number of incidents in the ACT, including those resulting in death where the individuals involved were on bail."

When asked what incidents he was referring to, Mr Hanson said he would rather not discuss specific cases.

Mr Ramsay said in a statement the government was not aware of any major incidents that had raised concerns about bail legislation in the past year.

He said short of remanding every alleged offender in custody there was always a risk the alleged offender would reoffend; a risk he said was controlled by bail laws, court-imposed bail conditions and police checking compliance.

"The territory's legislation has presumptions in favour of bail for minor offences, and against bail for serious offences including family violence offences. It provides a strong basis for police, magistrates, and judges to make fair decisions about bail."

Mr Ramsay said a new case management system, used by the courts and tribunals and set to be introduced for criminal cases next year, would help produce more detailed reports on reoffending and bail breaches.