Tuesday, 18 February 2025

Bail laws

Brad BATTIN (Berwick – Leader of the Opposition) (14:26): My question is to the Premier. In the past two years over a hundred properties have been firebombed in Victoria’s tobacco wars. How many offenders have been charged for these firebombings and bailed back into the community?

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:27): In answering the Leader of the Opposition’s question, at the outset can I thank the work of Victoria Police, particularly the work they are doing via Taskforce Lunar, which demonstrates the point that the Minister for Police was making earlier in terms of the additional resources, tools and powers that have been provided to Victoria Police and have enabled them to establish this important taskforce. I can advise the house that as a result of the strong work from Victoria Police through Taskforce Lunar there have been over 200 search warrants executed and 80 offenders arrested. In terms of the second part of the question –

Brad Battin: Speaker, my point of order is on relevance, and it comes back to asking how many were bailed back into the community. It was very specific.

Mary-Anne Thomas: Speaker, there is no point of order. The Premier was being entirely relevant to the question. She has only been on her feet for 50 seconds and she has addressed the first part of the question. As the Premier herself indicated before the Leader of the Opposition got up, she was on to the second point of the question.

The SPEAKER: The Premier has only been on her feet a short time. I will give her a chance to answer the question.

Jacinta ALLAN: I am delighted to have the opportunity to answer both parts of the question from the Leader of the Opposition, because the Leader of the Opposition’s question went to how many arrests and then went to the question –

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Cranbourne can leave the chamber for an hour.

Member for Cranbourne withdrew from chamber.

Mary-Anne Thomas interjected.

The SPEAKER: Leader of the House, this is your last warning.

Jacinta ALLAN: I reiterate what I said earlier: the men and women of Victoria Police, through the work they are doing on Taskforce Lunar, have seen 200 search warrants executed and 80 offenders arrested and have seized up to $37 million worth of illegal tobacco products. In terms of answering the second part of the question –

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, all answers to questions must be succinct. The Premier is repeating something and failing to get to the very narrow question of how many people have been charged for firebombings and then bailed. Could you please ask the Premier –

The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier was being relevant. I cannot direct the Premier how to answer the question.

Jacinta ALLAN: In answer to the second part of the Leader of the Opposition’s question, data around bail and the number of people who have received bail through the independent judicial process governed by the courts is information I will seek from the courts.

Brad BATTIN (Berwick – Leader of the Opposition) (14:30): Katie Tangey, 27, died in a Truganina house fire in mid-January, an innocent victim of the tobacco wars. Premier, how many more Victorians will be killed or injured due to the government’s bail law failures?

The SPEAKER: I ask the Leader of the Opposition to rephrase the question.

Members interjecting.

Jacinta Allan: On a point of order, Speaker, I ask the Leader of the Opposition to withdraw that offensive allegation. The Leader of the Opposition has form in this place for making baseless allegations, and I ask him to withdraw.

The SPEAKER: I ask the Leader of the Opposition to withdraw.

Brad BATTIN: I withdraw.

The SPEAKER: And I ask you to rephrase the question.

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, I seek guidance in relation to the request to rephrase the question, because the link is clear: tobacco wars and bail. I am just seeking clarification on that.

The SPEAKER: The request to rephrase is because it is hypothetical. I ask the Leader of the Opposition to rephrase.

Brad BATTIN: Katie Tangey, 27, died in a Truganina house fire in mid-January, an innocent victim of the tobacco wars. Premier, how many more Victorians will be killed or injured due to the government’s failure to act on laws here to protect Victorians when it comes to bail?

Mary-Anne Thomas: On a point of order, Speaker, could I ask that you ask the Leader of the Opposition to again consider rephrasing his question. Once again it is about the hypotheticals that he has raised. Once again in his question he has come in here speculating about causal links, and this is a matter before the courts. Speaker, I seek your guidance but ask that perhaps he rephrase again.

The SPEAKER: There are two parts to this standing order and Rulings from the Chair. One is a hypothetical question, and the second is asking for an opinion. Could the Leader of the Opposition ask his question so that he is not asking for an opinion and it is not a request for a hypothetical.

Brad BATTIN: Katie Tangey, 27, died in a Truganina house fire in mid-January, an innocent victim in the tobacco wars. Premier, what advice have you received in relation to your bail laws and the impact on the tobacco wars here in Victoria?

Mary-Anne Thomas: On a point of order, Speaker, the matters that the Leader of the Opposition has raised to the best of my knowledge are alleged, and this is a matter that is still under investigation by Victoria Police. The link that the Leader of the Opposition continues to draw is a speculative one that has not been endorsed by Victoria Police or indeed found to –

Sam Groth: On the point of order, Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition asked specifically what advice the Premier has received in relation to her policy. It reflects directly to policies of this government.

The SPEAKER: I will allow the question.

Jacinta Allan: On the point of order, Speaker, I am wondering if you can ask the Leader of the Opposition to assist. I am very willing to answer the question. Could he perhaps provide the evidence or detail on which he is basing the allegation about the tragic loss of life that we have seen. To my knowledge there has been no reference to issues of bail with this incident. I am hoping the Leader of the Opposition can provide some clarification on his question.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! It is not for me to determine the facts or otherwise of questions or answers. I will allow the question.

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:35): At the outset, can I convey my deepest sympathy to the family who are grieving the loss of a young woman. My advice is that Victoria Police are investigating this arson attack and are undertaking investigations and pursuing a number of related lines of investigation. I will respect the work of the men and women of Victoria Police. I will not compromise their ability to do their work in pursuing the people who caused this loss of life. It would be deeply irresponsible to do so. Equally deeply irresponsible is to come into this place with baseless allegations that only cause distress to members of the community.

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order on relevance, Speaker, the question was very narrow about advice received on the failure to strengthen bail laws. I would ask you to ask the Premier to come back to that very narrow question.

The SPEAKER: The Premier has concluded her answer, and the Premier was being relevant to the question.