Wednesday, 18 March 2026

 Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (18:41): (2431) My adjournment debate this evening is for the Attorney-General, and it is in regard to the tragic death of Kaiden Morgan, a young Morwell man who passed away at the end of a machete attack in September last year. I have spent time with his mother and extended family and, in doing that, this is her adjournment tonight. She and her family are deeply grieving, as you could imagine. There is no greater loss than to have a phone call from a dying son and not be able to stop that death. Ms Johnston has asked me to call for retrospectivity to apply to recent youth justice reforms so that her son’s case reflects stronger penalties. Her house is blazoned with ‘Justice for Kaiden’. Now, I know, Attorney-General, and you know, that retrospective criminal laws cannot be applied under section 27 of the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities. I acknowledge this Parliament cannot alter those penalties for past conduct. However, Ms Johnston’s advocacy raises serious and legitimate concerns around respect and the fact that this should not have to happen again, that a parent should not have to go through this devastation.

So what Ms Johnston has asked, and I ask the Attorney, is to initiate a targeted review of Victoria’s response to violent youth offending. It is a catch-all. The request is to look at sentencing adequacy for extreme youth violence, including gross violence offences and attacks involving machetes; the effectiveness and enforcement of statewide machete bans – a raw and real look at if this is being effective; and youth violence prevention and early intervention measures, if they are working. Given the ever-increasing escalation of youth violence in our streets, Kaiden’s mum wants to know: what is the government doing? And finally, the targeted review should include improved involvement of victims and their families in shaping future justice reforms, ensuring lived experience is meaningfully incorporated into policy. These are the requests that Kaiden’s mother wants, and I ask the minister to take them seriously, earnestly, and respond in a very timely manner.