Wednesday, 12 November 2025

 Sonya KILKENNY (Carrum – Attorney-General, Minister for Planning) (14:26): Recently we have seen a new kind of offending: terrifying, violent, repeated offending by children that is having significant and devastating impacts on victims – too many victims and not enough consequences. That is why we will be introducing adult time for violent crime, our plan to reduce youth crime, a new kind of response to a new kind of offending. Under our proposed new laws victims of this new kind of offending and the community will know that this serious violence will be met with serious consequences. Children aged 14 and above who commit these violent crimes will face adult courts and adult sentences for these crimes: aggravated home invasion, home invasion, aggravated carjacking, carjacking, intentionally and recklessly causing serious injury in circumstances of gross violence, serious and repeat armed robbery, and serious and repeat aggravated burglary. The County Court, with a focus on deterrence and punishment, will decide these matters, with children facing adult sentences.

This is a big change. Adult time for violent crime will deliver serious consequences for children committing brazen, violent crimes that hurt victims and hurt the community. It will change the status quo of youth sentencing in Victoria, sending the most violent crimes to a higher court, where jail is more likely and sentences are longer. These changes back in our strengthened bail laws, which are already delivering results: adult remand up 27 per cent and the number of young people on remand up 46 per cent. Courts are refusing bail at record levels; bail refusals are up 108 per cent and bail revocations are up 100 per cent. This is what Victorians expect and deserve, not a foul-mouthed Leader of the Opposition who has got nothing constructive to say.