Tuesday, 29 July 2025
Questions without notice and ministers statements
Ministers statements: bail laws
Please do not quote
Proof only
Ministers statements: bail laws
Sonya KILKENNY (Carrum – Attorney-General, Minister for Planning) (14:16): I rise to update the house on the Allan Labor government’s continued action to put community safety first. This morning I joined the Premier and the Minister for Police to announce our second tranche of tough new bail laws, because Victorians deserve to –
Members interjecting.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: I need to be able to hear the minister.
Sonya KILKENNY: These reforms we have announced this morning are squarely focused on protecting the community from high-risk and serious repeat offenders. These reforms send a clear and unequivocal message to those accused of serious repeat offending: if you commit violent crimes while on bail, you will face the toughest bail test in the country. This will apply to six high-harm offences: aggravated home invasion, aggravated carjacking, armed robbery, aggravated burglary, home invasion and carjacking – the kinds of crimes we know are causing real fear, anger and distress in the community. We are also introducing a second-strike rule, because you cannot keep reoffending on bail. Our message to these offenders is: if you are on bail and you reoffend, it is going to be much tougher for you to get bail again. You will face a presumption against bail unless you can demonstrate compelling reasons. These are tough and strong changes, but they also need to be fair –
Members interjecting.
Sonya KILKENNY: is that right, opposition leader? – so we are making sure that lower level nonviolent offences, often driven by poverty, mental illness, homelessness or addiction, are not swept up in these reforms, ensuring we target the serious risk to community while avoiding unnecessary harm to vulnerable Victorians. This builds on the significant changes to bail we introduced in March – reforms that are already working. Bail revocations are up and remand numbers are increasing.