Thursday, 11 September 2025

 Matthew GUY (Bulleen) (10:28): In the last week or so I have been inundated by residents in Manningham who are deeply concerned with issues around law and order, particularly in our municipality. In 2018 the Liberals warned that if you weaken the criminal justice system, you will embolden the criminal element in our society. And over the last week or so, we have seen violent instances and particularly potential home invasions – videos – in Doncaster, Hughesdale, Box Hill, Viewbank and North Balwyn. There were two boys murdered some days ago coming home from basketball – more knife crime in this state. The Premier could not even find it in herself to comment on this issue. She could comment on neo-Nazis coming to her own press conference for the sake of politics but could not come out to explain how knife crime has got so bad in our state under her government that two boys find themselves murdered by this kind of crime that is occurring in our state today. We have long said that if you weaken the criminal justice system, you will embolden people who will act in these ways. The coalition always stands by those who abide by the law first. The coalition has always said that the criminal justice system should be there to protect those who abide by the law, not those who make excuses for people who break it. And that is the difference between Liberal and Labor in the state of Victoria.