Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan orders review of state’s bail laws days out from crucial by-election
Just days out from a crucial by-election, and with polls looking dicey, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has ordered a review of the state’s bail laws.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has ordered a review of the state’s bail laws ahead of a crucial by-election this weekend in Melbourne’s west.
Just four days out from the vote in the outer suburban seat of Werribee, Ms Allan made a play to strengthen the Victorian Labor government’s law and order credentials by announcing a review into community safety.
On the first day of Victorian parliament for 2025, Ms Allan said community concerns had prompted her to ask Victoria’s Attorney-General and Police Minister to undertake the review, which comes less than six months after her government changed the state’s bail legislation.
“It’s just simply unacceptable to me that many Victorians, particularly women and children, aren’t feeling as safe as they should,” Ms Allan said on Tuesday.
“The youth justice changes that we made last year were about strengthening the bail test, strengthening the offences regime to introduce a new offence for committing a serious crime on bail, introducing electronic monitoring, and these changes have started to roll out.
“But it’s absolutely clear here we need to go further, we need to do more.”
New Opposition Leader Brad Battin accused Ms Allan of a “backflip” after weakening bail laws in 2023 and said the review was the government’s reaction to bad polls.
“People have been killed from people who are on bail, and now we’re seeing a reaction from the government when they get bad polls,” the Liberal leader said.
“As we’re coming up to by-elections in Werribee and Prahran, they’ve come out now knowing that they need to make changes to the Bail Act, and they’re trying to put it under the guise of a review.”
In question time, Mr Battin pressed Ms Allan for details on the timing of the review and her motivation for ordering it.
“Why can’t the Labor government just strengthen bail in Victoria rather than launch a review that further delays action and puts the community at risk,” Mr Battin said.
Ms Allan defended her government’s record on community safety, saying it had already made changes to strengthen bail laws.
She said the review was in response to community concerns, and did not provide a timeframe.
Together with infrastructure, crime is understood to be a key issue among the 56,000 voters heading to the polls for the February 8 Werribee by-election, which was triggered by the resignation of former Victorian treasurer Tim Pallas.
The vote is set to be a key test for Ms Allan’s government ahead of next year’s state election.
Strategists from both sides believe if Labor loses the seat, it could signal the beginning of the end for her government.
While it’s understood senior Liberal MPs are not convinced their party will win the seat, which is in traditional Labor heartland, Labor is understood to be bracing for a swing against it that could be as high as 10 per cent.
In Melbourne’s inner south, about 48,000 people will head to the polls on Saturday in a by-election for the seat of Prahran.
The vote, triggered by the resignation of former Greens MP Sam Hibbins, will be a rare Liberal-Greens contest, with Labor opting against running a candidate.
The Greens have held the seat of Prahran since 2014.
Labor to invest $573bn in female health
Improved access to birth control and treatments for UTIs, menopause and endometriosis will reform care for a health area ‘shrouded in shame and stigma’.
‘Unique’ AUKUS deal earns Trump approval
President Donald Trump has flagged his support for the complex defence arrangement with Australia after the Albanese government delivered a $798m payment.