Thursday, 30 October 2025

 James NEWBURY (Brighton) (14:22): My question is to the Attorney. The Deputy Premier has called for ‘sentencing that actually gives the opportunity to give these … kids time’. Given the Attorney said yesterday, ‘We on this side are unified in our approach,’ when does the government intend to introduce legislation to implement the Deputy Premier’s tougher sentencing policy?

 Sonya KILKENNY (Carrum – Attorney-General, Minister for Planning) (14:22): Can I say the question from the member for Brighton goes to the very point about why those opposite could never be trusted to address what we are seeing at the moment, and that is an increasing number of children committing some very violent offences. I say that because all I have heard from those opposite in relation to this issue is reckless ideas, slogans –

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker: relevance.

The SPEAKER: Attorney, come back to the question.

Sonya KILKENNY: We on this side of the house are looking at consequences for children. We are also looking at the root causes of crime. It is absolutely imperative that we address those issues – things like education, things like jobs, things like services. It is important to look at the whole community. It is important to recognise that what we are dealing with here is something we have never seen before. We have never seen this type of offending before – very violent, very brazen crimes being committed more and more by young children. We know, from listening to victims, the voices of victims, how traumatic and how terrifying these incidents can be. It is working with victims. It is working with communities. It is working with Victoria Police.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, the Attorney is commentating, not dealing with the question that was put to her.

The SPEAKER: I do not uphold the point of order.

Sonya KILKENNY: This is about addressing those root causes of crime. This is about addressing consequences and ensuring that, when we are dealing with some of these very brazen and violent offences being increasingly committed by children, we are approaching this in a new way. We are working with Victoria Police, and as a good Labor government we are focused on those things, those protective factors, that are so important particularly in young children – education, schools and the protective factors of community and culture. Let me bring you to culture and remind everyone in here that it was this government that earlier this year introduced nation-leading anti-vilification laws – laws that those opposite opposed. And I remind everyone here –

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, the Attorney is debating the question and not dealing with Labor’s catch-and-release bail policy.

The SPEAKER: There is no point of order.

Sonya KILKENNY: The member for Brighton again reinforced the point I was making. Those opposite are reckless and they are simplistic in their approach to this issue. This is a new form of offending that we are seeing that needs a new form of response and intervention. That is exactly the action that we are taking.

 James NEWBURY (Brighton) (14:26): The Deputy Premier also called for ‘a zero-tolerance approach to violent crime, in particular knife crime’. Given the Attorney said on Tuesday that ‘we are aligned’, when will the government introduce legislation to implement the Deputy Premier’s tougher knife crime policy?

 Sonya KILKENNY (Carrum – Attorney-General, Minister for Planning) (14:27): I thank the member for his supplementary question. As I said on Tuesday and on Wednesday, no-one should be committing crimes in this state. No-one should be committing violent crimes, and that is exactly why earlier this year we introduced the toughest bail reforms, the toughest changes to our bail laws. We know that they are having a meaningful impact. We know that because the facts are telling us – a 46 per cent increase in the number of young people on remand, a 100 per cent increase in the number of refusals for bail and the number of bail revocation applications. These are big numbers, which means our bail reforms are having an impact. But as you have heard, we have gone much further than that. We have also introduced the first national machete ban, stop-and-search powers for police and landmark anti-vilification laws.