Tuesday, 4 March 2025

Sentencing reform

Michael O’BRIEN (Malvern) (12:54): Seemingly on the fly, the Premier announced last week that the review of Victoria’s weakened bail laws would also look at Victoria’s weak sentencing laws. This will be cold comfort for the family of Deborah Markey and the Chin, Wang, Lam and Chen families. All five of these innocent people had their lives taken because of one offender’s dangerous driving. Despite pleading guilty to five counts of dangerous driving causing death, Christopher Joannides was sentenced to a non-parole period of just three years imprisonment – three years for five innocent lives. Is that justice in Victoria? The Premier must ensure that Labor’s weak sentencing laws are not just reviewed but fixed as a matter of urgency.