Tuesday, 13 May 2025

Ministers statements: bail laws

Sonya KILKENNY (Carrum – Attorney-General, Minister for Planning) (14:13): I wish to update the house on this government’s tough new bail laws. The changes we have made to bail are having a real and measurable impact. In the last month we have seen 465 more people on remand compared to April last year. That is an increase of 22 per cent. Thirty-nine more young people are on remand compared to April last year, an increase of 71 per cent. These are not just statistics. It is a clear signal our bail reforms are working. We have tightened the conditions and made it harder to get bail for those who pose a risk to others. That is exactly what this community expects – that community safety and protection come first.

Last month we also launched our two-year electronic monitoring trial for young people on bail. This is a breakthrough. It is not about being soft or tough, it is about being smart. Ankle bracelets allow children to stay at school and stay with family while still being held accountable every day. We want to make sure that young people are given an opportunity to get their lives back on track. This government is about ensuring the safety of the community first and foremost. Those opposite, in a desperate grab for attention, finally had an announcement on bail – well, really a slogan. Indeed part of their proposal was to reannounce this government’s bail reforms. Thank you for the endorsement. They also propose laws that do nothing to protect community safety but everything to hurt vulnerable people. That is not smart at all. The Allan Labor government will get on with cracking down on high-harm repeat offending to keep the community safe with the toughest, smartest bail laws.