Tuesday, 14 October 2025

 Brad BATTIN (Berwick – Leader of the Opposition) (14:02): My question is to the Premier. Yesterday Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said we have a major crime problem here in Victoria. Does the Premier accept the chief commissioner’s position that Victoria has a major crime problem?

 Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:02): Not only do I accept and support the chief commissioner’s plan that he released yesterday for a new-look Victoria Police, I back the Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police. I respect the operational independence of the Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police. We most certainly do not do on this side of the house like those opposite have done repeatedly and undermine the work of –

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: The member for Laverton can leave the chamber for half an hour.

Member for Laverton withdrew from chamber.

The SPEAKER: Members will be removed without warning. I will not tolerate this level of disruption.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, I would ask you to bring the Premier back to the question. She is being evasive.

The SPEAKER: The Premier was being relevant to the question that was asked.

Jacinta ALLAN: Before I was interrupted by the new Manager of Opposition Business, I was reminding those opposite that you do not support Victoria Police when you are undermining their work to get dangerous weapons off our streets.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! Members do not need to ask me to call them. I will see them standing.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, I do feel that I need to stand up for your integrity. The Premier should not be reflecting on you. Reflecting on you is entirely unparliamentary, Speaker.

The SPEAKER: There is no point of order.

Jacinta ALLAN: Of all the people to talk about integrity. Ask the member for Hawthorn about that, member for Brighton.

When it comes to supporting the work of the chief commissioner, I reinforce most firmly that this government does support the work of the Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police. Indeed, in listening and taking the advice of Victoria Police and in listening and understanding the experiences of victims of crime, we have already accepted that there is a challenge here in this state to address this repeat, brazen pattern of behaviour that cannot be tolerated and will not be tolerated, which is why we have already moved to strengthen the bail laws in this place – bail laws, I note, that those opposite opposed on the way through – and introduced the ban on machetes in this state.

Members interjecting.

Jacinta ALLAN: I will tell you how it is going. Two thousand machetes have been handed in over the past fortnight, in addition to the 12,000 weapons that have been taken off the streets as a result of our government giving police more stop-and-search powers. That is how it is going, member for Malvern, as you are heading out the door. I will give you those figures on your way out, member for Malvern. And we are doing this –

Michael O’Brien interjected.

The SPEAKER: Member for Malvern, I ask you to cease interjecting across the chamber. Premier, I ask you to stop responding to interjections from the member for Malvern.

Jacinta ALLAN: We are doing this because – again, I do want to go back and restate – it is from listening to victims of crime. It is understanding that this is not just a grave matter of concern; it is a repeat, brazen pattern of behaviour that must not be tolerated. It will not be tolerated. In understanding that there is more to do, it also does go to that very important point of supporting the work of Victoria Police, not undermining it, which is why we support the plan that the chief commissioner released yesterday for a new-look Victoria Police to keep our community safe.

 Brad BATTIN (Berwick – Leader of the Opposition) (14:07): According to the most recent statistics, crime in Victoria increased by 16 per cent with one offence committed every 49 seconds, including a 42 per cent increase in car thefts, a 22 per cent increase in aggravated burglaries and a 16 per cent increase in serious assaults. Why is the government cutting police funding, closing police stations and leaving thousands of police jobs empty despite this rampant crime?

 Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:07): The Leader of the Opposition in his supplementary question has just proven the point that I was making in answer to the substantive question. It is questions like that that undermine the work of Victoria Police. There has been no funding cut –

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Tarneit can leave the chamber for half an hour.

Member for Tarneit withdrew from chamber.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, again on relevance, the Premier is being evasive.

The SPEAKER: That is not a point of order.

Jacinta ALLAN: It is entirely within the remit of me answering this question to tell the Leader of the Opposition how he is wrong. The chief commissioner has made this –

James Newbury interjected.

The SPEAKER: Order! Manager of Opposition Business!

Jacinta ALLAN: Going back to answering the question, the chief commissioner made this clear yesterday and over the course of today. He has refuted –

James Newbury interjected.

The SPEAKER: Order! Manager of Opposition Business, I ask you to come to order. I ruled your point of order out of order.

Jacinta ALLAN: He has refuted this deliberately misleading and undermining claim from the Leader of the Opposition. He makes it time and time again, which means the chief commissioner has to time and time again remind the Leader of the Opposition that he is wrong when it comes to those claims that he is making about the level of funding to Victoria Police. We have –

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, I do not know what the Premier is answering, but this question specifically went to the major crime crisis identified by the chief commissioner.

Jacinta ALLAN: On the point of order, Speaker, I would have thought the Manager of Opposition Business’s elevation back to that role meant that he had a role in question time tactics. The question that the Leader of the Opposition asked went to statistics and then made an incorrect claim about the level of funding to Victoria Police, and that is the question that I am addressing in my answer.

The SPEAKER: The Premier was being relevant to the question that was asked.

Jacinta ALLAN: As I said, we support Victoria Police; we do not undermine Victoria Police. We give them the resources and the tools and the powers they need to do their work.