Revelations today that 80 hardcore repeat youth offenders have been arrested more than 10 times each over the past year again demonstrates that now is not the time to be weakening bail laws.
Victoria Police have confirmed that a group of around 290 young offenders are committing the majority of serious crimes, including aggravated burglary and theft, with 80 offenders having been arrested repeatedly.
Labor’s Bail Amendment Act passed last year and coming into effect on 25 March 2024 will, amongst other changes, abolish section 30B of the Bail Act 1977.
BAIL ACT 1977 – SECTION 30B
Offence to commit indictable offence whilst on bail
An accused on bail must not commit an indictable offence whilst on bail.
Penalty: 30 penalty units or 3 months imprisonment.
As Section 30B shows, it provides (only up until March 24) that it is an offence for a person to commit an indictable offence whilst on bail.
The wise jurisprudence behind the law is to make it harder for repeat serious offenders to keep getting bail by raising the bail threshold for any subsequent offences.
Why on earth, anyone would anyone think of introducing this change of law if they did not simply want to invite repeat offenders to continue ‘pillaging and bleeding innocent Victorians’ at will?
With youth crime on the rise, and in some ways getting out of control, the more power to the courts to lock criminals behind bars, the better.
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But Labor simply seems to be going in the opposite direction. That is what seems to be what the state Opposition is saying.
Shadow Attorney-General, Michael O’Brien, said: “Labor’s abolition of section 30B will make it even easier for these hardcore repeat offenders to remain on bail and commit offences again and again.
“Weakening these bail laws will just turbo-charge the revolving door we already see with repeat serious offenders.
“The Allan Government must listen to the concerns of the community and look at ways to prevent repeat youth offending rather than making a bad situation worse.
“Now is the worst possible time to be weakening bail laws and putting the Victorian community at even greater risk.”
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