Questions without notice and ministers statements
Bail laws
Brad BATTIN (Berwick – Leader of the Opposition) (14:02): My question is to the Premier. Mark, Tenille and their children are victims of crime. They have been left traumatised after young offenders broke into their home this month. One of the youths, despite threatening to shoot his victims, was released on bail. Their experience was so terrifying that the family is now sleeping in a single room. Their teenage daughter is still fearful and cannot understand how someone can break into their home and be granted bail. How is it that under this government’s bail laws youth offenders can break into homes, threaten to shoot their victims and be granted bail?
Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:03): Firstly, in responding to the Leader of the Opposition’s question, can I acknowledge the family that he referred to in his question and extend my sympathy to them, because clearly, as he has articulated to the house, they have had an incredibly traumatic and difficult experience. That is, I think, as we have seen for other Victorians, an experience that does cause trauma, and it is through listening to victims of crime and hearing their experiences, and also understanding that crimes like this are causing concern across the Victorian community, that as a government we have made a number of important changes, including strengthening the bail laws. And we are seeing, as a result of those stronger bail requirements, an increase in the number of people on remand and therefore people in jail, not out on bail. So in terms of the intention of the passing of that legislation through this Parliament, we are seeing more people on remand, not on bail. But it is also to note –
James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, this question was about offenders who actually are on bail.
Mary-Anne Thomas: Speaker, on the point of order, there clearly is no point of order. The Premier was being entirely relevant to the question and addressing the issues that were raised by the Leader of the Opposition. I ask that you rule the point of order out of order and let the Premier get on with answering the question.
The SPEAKER: The Premier was being relevant to the question that was asked.
Jacinta ALLAN: Indeed as I was saying, the changes that have been made in strengthening the bail provisions have seen a 46 per cent increase in the number of young people who are in remand, not out on bail. But I have also acknowledged – the government has acknowledged – through continuing to listen to the experiences of victims of crime, listening to the Victorian community and taking our advice too from Victoria Police, that we need to continue to do further work. Victoria Police are undertaking that work with the transformation that is being led by the chief commissioner, to see more police on the streets to support a driving down, as he has identified it, of the offence rate.
We know that there needs to continue to be that work on looking at consequences for this repeat, brazen, violent offending that is causing such concern in the community. But also we understand that there does need to be further work on measures to stop this sort of violence before it starts, which is why supporting the work of Victoria Police is important and also the work that we are doing across government, with more resources in our education settings, in our child protection settings and in our TAFE settings to support young people away from this behaviour in the first place.
Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:07): In acknowledging that there are members of the family that the Leader of the Opposition referred to in the gallery today, I hope they can see from my answer to the first question that I have conveyed my deep concern for the trauma that they have experienced, which is deeply unacceptable. I will continue to listen to victims of crime. In answering the Leader of the Opposition’s question, I wish to say this: I know it is inappropriate to acknowledge the gallery, but I think the Leader of the Opposition knows well that I actually will be speaking on the voluntary assisted dying bill when question time has concluded. If there is not the opportunity to meet with the family today, I apologise for that, because there are requirements for me to be in the house.