New laws to rule on minimum sentences

THE Government will introduce minimum sentences for serious crimes, based partly on the findings of the MyViews Sentencing Survey.

THE State Government will introduce minimum sentences for serious crimes, based partly on the findings of the MyViews Sentencing Survey.

Laws to be introduced to Parliament during this term will set what the Government calls a "baseline" minimum.

Murder will have a 20-year minimum non-parole period, while it will be 10 years for commercial drug trafficking.

Courts will be compelled to use the baseline set by Parliament as the starting point for every minimum non-parole period they set.

Minimums will be set for other serious crimes including manslaughter, intentionally causing serious injury, armed robbery and sexual offences. They will also be set for arson and aggravated burglary.

Laws will be introduced next year creating a crime of intentionally and recklessly causing serious injury, which will carry a minimum term of four years.

The minimum for this new offence would not apply in exceptional circumstances, such as intellectual disability or mental illness.

During last year's election campaign, then Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu said the minimum sentences imposed by the courts were usually a small fraction of the maximum set by Parliament.

"Victorians are sick and tired of seeing offenders receive hopelessly inadequate sentences time and time again," he said.

"Too often, sentencing laws fail to result in penalties for offenders that protect the community and deter would-be offenders."

In addition to calls for longer sentences, the MyViews survey found support for lengthy non-parole periods. The most popular option for those convicted of murder or manslaughter was no parole.

For crimes where parole was considered appropriate, there was generally support for a non-parole period of about five years less than the total sentence.

Respondents called for a lengthy non-parole period for commercial drug trafficking, with 16 to 20 years most popular.

This compares with the current median non-parole period for the crime of four years and five months.

Mr Baillieu last year promised to introduce a 10-year minimum non-parole period for major drug traffickers.

Those convicted of murder would be jailed for at least 20 years before becoming eligible for parole. The median non-parole period for murder is now 15 years.