Premier Daniel Andrews has been accused of lying to advocates pushing to keep serial killer Paul Denyer behind bars

Advocates pushing to keep Frankston serial killer Paul Denyer locked up have accused Daniel Andrews of lying about his willingness to meet them.

Serial killer Paul Denyer was convicted of the murders of three women in 1993.

Advocates fighting to keep serial killer Paul Denyer behind bars have accused Daniel Andrews of lying about his willingness to meet with them.

Family and friends of Denyer’s victims say they have been repeatedly ignored by the Premier’s office, despite Mr Andrews saying he was “always happy to try and make time to meet with people.”

Pressure is mounting on the Andrews government to back a new law that would block Denyer from making any further applications for parole unless he was facing death.

Denyer was sentenced to life with a non-parole period of 30 years in 1993 for the Frankston murders of Elizabeth Anne-Marie Stevens, 18, mother Debbie Fream, 22, and schoolgirl Natalie Russell, 17.

Family and friends of Denyer’s victims say they have been ignored by the Premier’s office.

Family and friends of Ms Russell say they have been snubbed by the Premier, despite repeated phone calls and emails to his office.

They say repeated verbal and written requests to meet with the Premier have been responded to by senior staff who have given assurance them their request would be passed on.

At least one MP has also provided repeated assurances that they would personally raise the matter with the Premier.

“Someone is lying to us. We have been trying to talk to the Premier for six months but he refuses to meet with us,” Karen, a friend of Ms Russell’s, said.

“We are in disbelief the Premier would publicly lie that he is happy to meet with us but, despite repeated attempts, his office has never co-operated to arrange a meeting”.

An Opposition bill before the upper house proposes restricting any future bid for release by Denyer with identical laws that apply to Hoddle St killer Julain Knight and Russell St bomber Craig Minogue.

“How can Premier Daniel Andrews decide on how to vote without even talking to those most affected by Denyer’s parole attempts?” Karen said.

“Denyer has never shown remorse for his crimes. Why is the government refusing to acknowledge the secondary trauma impact Denyer’s parole attempts have on us?

“Why do we have to suffer never knowing for sure if we are safe?”

Andrews is under pressure to back a bill restricting any future bid for release by Denyer.

Lisa Knight, Ms Russell’s sister, said her family was devastated by the ongoing uncertainty around Denyer.

“Our family is very upset, we’re very distressed. Why won’t the Premier keep us all safe? I would have thought that it was an obvious step.”

Julian Knight this week joined the fight to keep Denyer behind bars, writing to Mr Andrews to accuse him of hypocrisy over his refusal to act on Denyer.

Knight, who infamously killed seven and wounded 19 people in a 1987 shooting rampage, became the first Victorian subject to a specific law to keep him behind bars forever.

Mr Andrews said he had not read Knight’s letter.

“I will not be engaging in a debate with that person on any subject matter,” he said.

“He lost the right to be part of public debate when he committed the evil atrocities that he was convicted for. He is where he belongs.”

Mr Andrews also said he was unaware of any contact by Denyer’s victims and his office.

“They may have, I’m not sure. We obviously have representations from many different people on many different issues,” he said.

“If me meeting with them is what they want then I’m happy to look at that. If not, Minister Erdogan, I think may have already met with some members of families.

“We appreciate that this is a very challenging time for those families, but the Adult Parole Board has made it clear that he is where he should be.

“My advice is that it is highly unlikely, given he had barely even participated in any programs during his time in prison, that the Adult Parole Board would even entertain another application.”

Shadow Minister for Corrections, Brad Battin, called on the Premier to meet with victims.

“After refusing to back measures that would have ensured Paul Denyer is never released from custody, the very least the Premier could do is meet with the families who have suffered such unimaginable pain and explain why he made this decision,” he said.

“Every time a parole application is made, the families must relive their trauma. It is time that the Andrews Government listens to those affected and puts a stop to it once and for all, like it has before.”

The Opposition needs to secure the support of at least seven crossbench MPs for the bill to pass in a move that would increase pressure on the government to support the law in the lower house.