Tuesday, 28 October 2025

 Bridget VALLENCE (Evelyn) (12:57): Crime in Victoria is at its highest level in 20 years under the Allan Labor government, with nearly 640,000 crimes reported last year. That is one crime committed every 49 seconds in Victoria. Lawlessness in Victoria is at crisis point. A car is stolen every 17 minutes, there is theft from a retail store every 13 minutes, serious assaults every 29 minutes and knife crime – machete attacks – is occurring each and every day, with people being stabbed in the city and the suburbs. A fat lot of good Labor’s machete bins have been. My community in the Yarra Ranges has suffered a 62 per cent increase in residential aggravated burglary and a 58 per cent increase in motor vehicle theft.

It is no exaggeration to say that Victorians no longer feel safe in their homes or on the streets under this Labor government. We know that 40 per cent of the crime is committed by just 5400 offenders. The cycle of these crims terrorising Victorians must be stopped. That is why the Victorian Liberals under Brad Battin take a different approach. ‘Break bail, face jail’ laws will ensure that strong consequences are there for repeat offenders, and our $100 million safer communities plan will give police greater powers to remove knives from our streets and toughen sentencing to ensure crooks know that there are serious consequences for committing crime in Victoria. It is time for a fresh start.