Daniel Andrews acts on gang laws to stop children mixing with members

After being accused of failing to acknowledge a Sudanese crime wave, the Andrews government is introducing tougher laws.

Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews Picture: Chloe Smith.

Victoria’s Andrews government has introduced tough laws that will stop children as young as 14 years old from mixing with known gang members, but have downplayed suggestions the legislation is a response to a South Sudanese gang problem.

A day after a raft of federal ministers accused the Andrews of government of failing to adequately acknowledge a crime wave being committed by a small group of members Victoria’s South Sudanese community, the Andrews government says it is getting tough on gang activity.

Under new legislation to be put to Victorian Parliament today, senior police officers will be able to slap kids as young as 14 years old who have criminal convictions with orders that stop them from mixing with known gang members.

Penalties for breaching the orders include jail sentences of up to three years, and extend to any form of contact including phone calls, texts and communication via social media.

Introduction of the new legislation comes just days after the fatal stabbing of Melbourne teenager Laa Chol, 19, after a group of young men allegedly gatecrashed a girls’ party at a rented apartment in Melbourne’s CBD.

The tragedy has renewed pressure on the Andrews government to take tough action on gang violence in Victoria’s Sudanese community, which crime statistics show are 57-times more likely to be charged with aggravated robbery than their Australian-born counterparts.

But on Tuesday, Police Minister Lisa Neville denied the new laws were introduced in response to the escalating crisis, even as she conceded that activities by outlaw motorcycle gangs had been proven in part to be driving youth crime in some ethnic communities.

“We flagged this in January, it was in our Community Safety Statement as part of a broader range of initiatives targeted at organised crime and outlaw motorcycle gangs,” Ms Neville said.

“We do have a small number of youth networked offending and we have been talking about that for the last couple of years — somewhere around 800 unique youth networked offenders — that have been involved in some of those serious crimes right across ethnic groups but they’re one component.

“What we do know is that the biggest harm in our state is those who traffic drugs, firearms, who are leading some of these home invasions that are incorporating young people in their criminal networks.”

When asked about whether the laws would help clamp down on what Victoria Police describe as a core group of 150 African-Australian gang members, Ms Neville said the laws were designed to target youth offenders across a range of ethnic groups, of which the Sudanese community made up just one component.

But she denied that it would target members who were already identified as being part of a gang, saying it was a preventive measure.

“It doesn’t target gang members … it could be a clean skin young person who is associating with people police are very concerned about,” Ms Neville said.

“It’s not about gangs, it’s about the sort of offending that is often associated with some of those gangs and some of the networked offending we’re seeing.

“What this adds is an additional tool for Victoria Police to try and issue notices to some of those most at risk of being part of criminal networks, [and they can] say ‘you cannot associate with these serious youth offenders and if you do that you will be subject to the law’.”

The laws come the day after Citizenship Minister Alan Tudge and Goldstein MP Tim Wilson both attacked the Victorian Government for letting community safety standards slip, and for its failure to acknowledge the severity of gang violence and activity within the Sudanese community.

Attorney-General Martin Pakula hit back at the commentary as “unhelpful” and criticised the Federal Coalition for weighing into the debate in Victoria while wilfully turning a blind eye to youth crime in other states, including Queensland, which he said suffered a higher youth crime rate.

“I don’t think getting into a mudslinging match with our federal political MPs is particularly helpful, it seems that when there are other sorts of crimes … those particular federal MPs appear particularly disinterested in that,” Mr Pakula said.

“I’ll let others make a judgment on whether their concern is for community safety or politics but I don’t think just getting into a slugging match with the Commonwealth is of much use. What’s useful is for the Victorian Government is to provide Victorian Police with the resources they need and laws they ask for to make sure they can get on top of these sort of issues.”