Tuesday, 27 May 2025

Community safety

Brad BATTIN (Berwick – Leader of the Opposition) (14:11): My question is to the Premier. Crysta Healey has said that she is too afraid to go to a service station after being viciously attacked by a machete-wielding thug in an attempted carjacking and, in relation to a ban on machetes, has simply said, ‘Why wait?’ On behalf of Crysta, I ask the Premier: why wait?

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:11): Again, I reiterate my thoughts are with people like Crysta who experienced the trauma of what they witnessed at the Northland shopping centre on the weekend, which is why we announced yesterday that we were moving immediately to choke the supply of these dangerous weapons from being sold here in Victoria. In answer to the broader question about the timing of how we are moving to ban machetes here in Victoria, we are the only state in Australia to do so, firstly. Secondly, bringing about this ban in six months, which took the United Kingdom 18 months to introduce, we are also doing it –

Brad Battin: On a point of order, Speaker, if the Premier had begun this process 18 months ago when we put forward a private members bill, maybe they would have been banned already.

The SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, you know that is not a point of order.

Jacinta ALLAN: What I was also going on to say is that the key and central piece of advice to how we roll out the first ban on machetes here in this nation was the advice of Victoria Police on how this rollout could be done as quickly as possible and as safely as possible. When we are considering community safety in terms of dealing with these dangerous weapons, we certainly have an obligation to protect the community, which is why we are moving to choke the supply of these dangerous weapons as soon as possible. But we also have a responsibility to support the men and women of Victoria Police to ensure that their workplace is also a safe one.

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, instead of gaslighting police, the Premier should just answer the very narrow question: why wait? Why not introduce the ban now?

The SPEAKER: There is no point of order.

Jacinta ALLAN: That point of order just demonstrates yet again the politics of those opposite – not interested in community safety. Offensive remarks like that, attacking the work –

Sam Groth: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, the question was very simple: why wait? If the Premier wants to talk about playing politics, on Sunday she said she could not stop the sale and yet the day after she said she could.

The SPEAKER: There is no point of order.

Jacinta ALLAN: I think the member for Evelyn’s point of order shows deep disrespect. I was in the process of referring to the advice from Victoria Police on how to do it as quickly as possible but as safely as possible. I know the Leader of the Opposition is not too fussed about workplace safety; we know that well and truly.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: The Leader of the Opposition will come to order. Leader of the Opposition, it is extremely disrespectful. I have asked you to cease interjecting across the table several times.

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, we care about the workplace safety of those retail workers. Why wait when there are machetes out on the street now?

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! Members who continue to raise points of order that are not points of order will be sat down. I ask the Leader of the Opposition to cease interjecting across the table, and the Leader of the Nationals and the Leader of the House.

Jacinta ALLAN: I am going to go back and start again. The reason why taking the advice of Victoria Police was so central to the timing of introducing the first ban on machetes in Australia is that it was to do it as quickly as possible but as safely as possible. In considering our obligations around community safety, we have an obligation to the men and women of Victoria Police, who work in difficult and dangerous conditions, to not make their job any more difficult and dangerous. That might not be a concern of the Leader of the Opposition, but it is certainly of importance to me.

Brad BATTIN (Berwick – Leader of the Opposition) (14:16): On Sunday Superintendent Kelly Lawson said of a machete ban:

It’s no secret that Victoria Police would like to see that put in place as soon as possible.

Why does the Premier continue to ignore the request to ban machetes and keep Victorians safe?

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:16): The Leader of the Opposition knows he is deliberately misrepresenting the comments from Victoria Police, and I find that pretty unconscionable from someone who stands here as the leader of a major political party. We have worked with Victoria Police to bring about this Australia-first ban of machetes as quickly as possible, a point that has been reiterated on a number of occasions by Victoria Police command. We have worked with them to bring it about as quickly as possible and as safely as possible. If the Leader of the Opposition has a problem with dealing with workplace safety, I would suggest that is a matter for the Leader of the Opposition, because we will not compromise on supporting workplace safety, whether it is Victoria Police or whether it is retail workers, which is why we are bringing about new powers to strengthen protections for retail workers – and, can I say, members of parliamentary staff as well, who deserve our respect in keeping their workplace safe.