Petition Introduce legislation to establish Castle Law

The petition of certain citizens of the State of Victoria draws to the attention of the Legislative Council that Victorians have the right to defend themselves and their families, but there is no specific "Castle Law" recognising a person's home as a place where they are entitled to respond to a violent home invasion without unnecessary legal uncertainty. Many homeowners fear that, when forced to make split-second decisions to protect innocent lives, they may later face criminal investigation despite acting reasonably. As violent home invasions continue to concern the community, there is a need to strengthen and clarify Victoria's self-defence laws so that law-abiding citizens have greater legal certainty while maintaining safeguards against excessive or unlawful force.

The petitioners therefore request that the Legislative Council call on the Government to introduce legislation establishing a Castle Law that provides greater legal protection for people who reasonably defend themselves, their families and lawful occupants against violent intruders in their homes, creates a presumption that reasonable force used during a violent home invasion is lawful unless proven otherwise and reviews existing self-defence laws to ensure they provide clear and effective protection for law-abiding Victorians.