Eastern Victoria Region
Renee HEATH (Eastern Victoria) (12:54): (1848) My question is for the Minister for Police. In 2018 the Labor government introduced laws banning cash-for-scrap transactions in order to disrupt organised crime, but the behaviour continues to thrive. An established Gippsland operator has told me that legitimate businesses are going broke while illegal operators are openly flouting the law. Authorities know this, but instead of shutting them down they just fine them regularly. I am told that illegal operators laugh at these fines, describing them as just a small cost for doing business. The black market is fuelling the state’s 41 per cent surge in vehicle thefts and youth recruitment into crime. So my question is: Minister, what actions will you take to address the year-on-year rise in illegal operations in Eastern Victoria Region for scrap for cash?