Explained: All the major bills Jacinta Allan is rushing through parliament
Victorian parliament faces an unprecedented legislative blitz not seen since Daniel Andrews, as Labor pushes through with their promised reforms.
The Labor government is attempting to ram through more than half a dozen pieces of legislation before the end of the week in a last-minute rush to meet all of Premier Jacinta Allan’s promises before politicians leave parliament for the year.
Ms Allan vowed to pass her flagship “Adult Time for Violent Crime” laws before the end of the year, as well as retail crime reforms and protest crackdowns.
Changes to planning amendments, child safety, and electoral reforms were also flagged as imminent.
It has left parliament’s upper house set to vote on at least six bills in just one week, — the upper house on average votes on just three bills each week — a feat they have not achieved since 2018.
It has left crossbenchers frustrated as they wade through 1,000s of pages without the time to properly scrutinise the government’s plans.
These are all the major reforms being pushed through this week, and how the Premier plans to pass them:
Adult Time for Violent Crime
These laws target violent crimes committed by children aged 14 and over, moving them to adult courts for sentencing.
The aim is to increase jail time and consequences for serious youth offenders.
This legislation was introduced into the lower house on Tuesday, and are expected to be rushed through parliament as one of Ms Allan’s highest priorities.
Retail Crime
Long-promised retail crime reforms passed parliament on Tuesday, and should come into place before Christmas.
Under the new changes thugs who attack retail workers will face jail terms of up to five years, while ram-raids will face a higher penalty of 25 years.
Protest Crackdown
These laws passed parliament early on Wednesday morning and will give police more powers to crack down on protesters.
Police will have the power to order protesters who they believe have committed or intend to commit an offence at a public protest to remove face coverings.
Attachment devices used by protesters to lock on at protests were also banned.
Child Safety Amendments
The government will change what is known as “vicarious liability” for child abuse, including for historic child abuse.
It will make changes to make clear when an institution is responsible for abuse by an employee.
Electoral Changes
These were introduced by the government on Tuesday, and are set to overhaul the donation regime that governs election campaigning.
It could have significant impacts on how much the Coalition, the Greens and independents can spend on advertising in political campaigns.
The Greens have made clear they will not help the government pass the laws, while it is unclear where the Coalition sits on the changes.
Planning Reforms
The government is also keen to pass their “Better Decisions Made Faster” planning changes which will cut red tape and are designed to speed up planning decisions.
Under the bill stand-alone homes and duplexes should take 10 days to approve, townhouses and low-rise developments 30 days, and 60 days for larger apartment buildings.
This bill has passed the lower house, and will need to pass the upper house if the government wants these changes in before the new year.
In the upper house the government is trying to pass the crime reforms, transport legislation, labour hire reforms, its major planning changes, and a social services amendment.
It could be seen as the government clearing it legislative agenda, with reforms on Workplace Protection Orders and working-from-home at the top of the agenda for next year.
But it has left the crossbench frustrated.
Legalise Cannabis MP David Ettershank, who sits in the upper house, questioned how crossbenchers are “expected to analyse and consult with stakeholders” before voting on these bills.
“The last time we pushed through so much legislation was seven years ago when Dan Andrews was Premier. In the second week of August 2018, two months out from the state election, the Andrews (government) pushed through six bills in a week,” Mr Ettershank said.
He said that the under the Allan regime the parliament has never passed six bills in a week.
Mr Ettershank said that Labor MPs could be distracted wanting to be seen “ pressing the flesh and being photographed in hi-vis vests and hard hats” instead of being “holed up in parliament working on good legislation that will serve the people of Victoria”.
Originally published as Explained: All the major bills Jacinta Allan is rushing through parliament
