8 hours Ago By William Ton and Callum Godde
It was "wrong" to relax bail laws after an Indigenous woman died alone in her cell as a besieged state government pushes to ram through changes to target repeat youth offenders. Login or signup to continue reading Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan uttered the 2024 bail laws mea culpa on Wednesday when unveiling a reforms shake-up following a snap review amid mounting community anger. "I do acknowledge we got it wrong," she told reporters.
Victoria tightened bail laws in 2018 after James Gargasoulas drove into Melbourne's busy Bourke Street Mall in 2017 while on bail, killing six people and injuring dozens more. A coronial inquest into the death of Gunditjmara, Dja Dja Wurrung, Wiradjuri and Yorta Yorta woman Veronica Nelson in 2020 found the changes were a "complete and unmitigated disaster". It sparked reforms, led by former premier Daniel Andrews, designed to make it easier for lower-level offenders to get bail.
Ms Allan, whose Bendigo electoral office became the site of a bail law protest on Tuesday, said she was deeply sorry for the hurt, pain and trauma suffered by victims of crime. "It has been heartbreaking," she said. Men and boys in their mid-to-late teens make up 64 per cent of alleged aggravated burglary offenders, with the government aiming to target these younger serious offenders.
The proposed changes include scrapping remand as a last resort for accused youth offenders and denying bail to anyone accused of committing a serious offence if they are already on bail for a similar crime. Those charged with serious gun, knife and arson offences, non-aggravated home invasion and carjacking face tougher hurdles to get bail, and the government will reintroduce the offences of committing a serious crime while on bail and breaching a bail condition. Machetes are also set be classed as designated prohibited weapons under separate legislation.
"It will be a jolt to the system," Ms Allan said. Some safeguards from the 2024 bail changes will remain to protect more vulnerable community members, the premier added. A bill will be introduced to parliament on Tuesday and Ms Allan wants it to pass both houses by the end of Thursday, throwing down a challenge to the opposition and minor parties to waive it through.
"They have the opportunity next week to either stand with the government ...
or they can explain to the community why they are blocking the toughest bail laws in the country," she said. The move would leave less time than usual for non-government MPs and interest groups to scrutinise the legislation. Police union boss Wayne Gatt said it was high time the government admitted it got it wrong and listened to seven million Victorians screaming for change.
"There'll be detractors in today's announcement," he said. "But I'll tell you now those people will not be the ordinary people in the streets of Victoria who have been subjected to aggravated burglaries day after day." The Victorian Aboriginal Legal service were among the critics, calling the changes "knee jerk" and accusing the government of prioritising their political agenda and votes.
"They have prioritised making the law the scapegoat rather than tackling the real problems," its chief executive Nerita Waight said. Liberty Victoria president Mike Stanton pointed out the breathtaking "duplicity" of the government introducing the "draconian" reforms after appearing before the state's Indigenous truth-telling commission. "This will result in deaths in custody.
It's a disgrace," he said. The bail law review was announced days out from the Werribee by-election, where Labor suffered a 16.5 per cent fall in its primary vote.
Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny and Police Minister Anthony Carbines led the review. She said she and Mr Carbines consulted with stakeholders such as victims of crime, Victoria Police and the courts, but did not reference legal or Aboriginal groups. Australian Associated Press DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team.
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