Explained: What Jacinta Allan’s crime announcements mean for Victoria
The Allan government has made three major crime announcements this week. This is what they include, when Victorians can expect them, and why the government was forced to act.
The Allan government has introduced sweeping crime reforms this week. This is what they are, when they will be introduced, and how the community has reacted.
What has been announced?
The centrepiece is the “Adult Time for Violent Crime” policy, making children aged 14 and older who commit violent crimes face adult sentences in adult courts.
Serious youth offenders could face up to 25 years for home invasion and 20 years for machete attacks, a significant increase from the previous maximum of three years in the Children’s Court.
Crimes covered include home invasions, carjackings, and intentionally or recklessly causing injury in circumstances of gross violence, such as with machetes.
Aggravated home invasion and aggravated carjacking could carry a life sentence.
Laws targeting “evil” gang leaders who recruit children have also been tightened.
These adults could now face 15 years — up from 10 — for luring children into violent crimes, and life imprisonment for recruiting for aggravated home invasions and aggravated carjackings.
Additionally, the government introduced its long-awaited retail worker protections, creating a new offence with a maximum five-year prison sentence for attacking shop workers.
Penalties for ram-raids on shopfronts would also increase, becoming recognised as aggravated burglary and attracting jail terms of up to 25 years.
Why has the government done this?
These changes come amid increasing pressure from soaring crime rates, particularly those driven by repeat youth offenders and a 27.6 per cent surge in retail crime over the past year.
This has been highlighted by the Herald Sun’s eight-month Suburbs Under Siege and Stop Shop Abuse campaigns.
This marks a policy shift for the Labor government, which previously loosened bail laws and raised the age of criminal responsibility.
Ms Allan said that the U-turn was because “there are too many victims, not enough consequences”, in a swipe at the Children’s Court.
In a swipe at the Children’s Court, Ms Allan said that the U-turn was because “there are too many victims, not enough consequences”.
“We want courts to treat these violent children like adults, so jail is more likely and sentences are longer.”
When will we actually see these laws come into effect?
The first set of retail crime reforms are expected to pass parliament before Christmas, despite being initially announced 18 months ago.
The second part of the retail protections, a Workplace Protection Order measure strongly advocated for by retailers, will not come until April next year.
The laws targeting youth gang recruiters are anticipated early next year.
The “Adult Time for Violent Crime” reforms are set to be introduced to parliament before the end of the year, but are not guaranteed to pass before the new year.
Ms Allan conceded on Wednesday that the bill was still “being drafted”, sparking ferocious criticism from the Opposition.
What did the opposition say?
Opposition Leader Brad Battin has called out the “absolute sh*t this government feeds the community” after he was told the sweeping “Adult Time for Violent Crime” reforms were not finished being written yet.
“I’m sorry you can’t come out with a media release and not have the legislation written to protect Victorians.”
Shadow Attorney-General James Newbury said the Victorian laws were significantly weaker than Queensland’s similar legislation, covering only five violent crimes compared to Queensland’s 33, which included drug offences.
Mr Newbury accused Ms Allan of having “done a deal” with the left faction of her party.
“She’s been rolled by her team and she’s got the headline, she’s got the announcement, she’s got the line,” he said.
The Opposition is expected to help pass all of the crime measures, but is likely to move amendments to address its criticisms.
What have we heard from the community?
Community reaction has been mixed. A Herald Sun reader poll showed 97 per cent support for adult sentencing.
It was also welcomed by the Australian Association of Convenience Stores whose CEO Theo Foukkare said it would protect his members from ongoing violence.
“(The reforms are) something we’ve supported in other states, and I commend the Allan government for this hardline approach.”
However, youth justice experts and legal figures expressed concerns about the adult sentencing reforms.
South Sudanese criminal lawyer Daniel Ajak said the proposed laws were “terrible” and “extremely dangerous”.
While Youth Affairs Council of Victoria chief executive Mary Nega said it appeared the state government was “giving up” on the future of children mixed up in crime circles.
But youth offenders appeared to have gotten the message. One youth offender, who regularly shares photos of himself with machetes said online: “We’re cooked.”
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