Chris Crewther (Dunkley, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) the Victorian Labor Government was elected on 29 November 2014 and the Premier was sworn in on 4 December 2014;

(b) the Premier:

  (i) in his election platform stated: 'More young people are turning to a life of crime. Crime has increased every year...Courts and prison systems are under huge pressure'; and

  (ii) took only one promise to that election in regards to law and order—$148.6 million to free up some of the 400 officers who supervise prisoners in holding cells;

(c) since being elected, the Victorian Government has seen prison riots, millions of dollars in damage to prison facilities, and a total loss of control over the justice system;

(d) when the Premier was elected, the crime rate was 7,869 offences per 100,000 Victorians, and Victoria's crime rate two years later is now 8,975 offences per 100,000 Victorians;

(e) between October 2015 and September 2016 this crime rate includes 12.6 per cent more assaults, 21.5 per cent more robberies, 13.7 per cent more burglaries and break and enters, 17.5 per cent more thefts, and 75.3 per cent more justice procedures;

(f) the Victorian Government is unable to control the criminals in prison let alone the criminals on the streets of Victoria; and

(g) under the Victorian Government, Victorians are just less safe;

(2) further notes that the Australian Government supports the fight against crime in Victoria, more broadly and specifically in the electoral division of Dunkley, through measures such as $925,150 from the Safer Streets Programme (SSP);

(3) calls on:

(a) the Federal Opposition to support measures that allow the Government to achieve savings to ensure even more funding for programmes like the SSP; and

(b) Members of the Victorian Parliament to ensure that Victoria has stronger policies on law and order including less bail and more jail for criminals who would pose a risk to the community; and

(4) condemns the Victorian Government for a lack of action on law and order and failing to protect Victorians.

Law and order has always been of serious concern for most of us, but, in Victoria, it has reached an extremely worrying point: Apex and copycat gangs; youths out on the street when they should be asleep; carjackings; home invasions; aggravated burglaries—anxieties about what kind of behaviour will be drawn out overshadow every public event, and we wait to read the damage in the newspaper the following morning. People are afraid to go out on their own, and there is now a market for tracking devices should your car be stolen.

Crime in Victoria is out of control. It does not matter what the state Labor government has to say; the statistics speak for themselves. The numbers of offences recorded increased by over 10 per cent from 2015 to 2016, and Victoria's crime rate is now at 9,119 offences per 100,000 people. This figure has increased by over 1,000 offences per 100,000 people since the election of the Daniel Andrews Labor state government in November 2014, and it shows no sign of abating.

The two local government areas that my electorate covers, Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula, have both experienced an increase in the number of offences committed and the number of offences per 100,000 people, as have many other areas across the state, some even more so. It is no wonder, when we are seeing police numbers drop across the state and police stations close. To quote a selection of crime reports from Dunkley's local papers over the last few weeks: in Frankston a vehicle was set alight, suspected stolen; in Seaford, assaulting a police officer; Langwarrin, police are seeking witnesses to a car fire; Mount Eliza, a pharmacy theft; Frankston, driving erratically—police tried to pursue but called off the chase; Carrum Downs, a group of youths armed with poles and wooden stakes. Such examples are not only present in my area but are increasingly common across the state. I have no doubt that my Victorian colleagues are observing similar patterns. Just this morning, for example, there was a horrific attack with an axe in an outer metropolitan shopping centre. We have become accustomed to the daily news of shocking street crime carried out on our streets in our towns and communities.

It is terrifying. Victorians just do not feel safe any more. People feel powerless. Their concerns are just not being taken seriously by the state Labor government, and we are left wondering: where next?

There is weakening confidence in our courts and prison systems; there is weakening confidence in our laws—and there is weakening confidence in our own state government, which is meant to be keeping us safe in Victoria. Commonwealth agencies have assisted their state law enforcement counterparts in Victoria to the extent that they can. However, we must acknowledge that this is very much a matter for the Victorian government.

It was, though, with sincere relief that last year Minister Keenan and I announced $166,000 from the Safer Streets Program specifically for Dunkley to fund multiple CCTV cameras and improved lighting facilities to deter and protect against crime in safety hotspots, which I know that this was welcomed by the community. We appreciate the support from the Minister for Justice, especially as we do not receive this support from our state Labor representatives or state government.

Victoria's bail laws are the weakest in the country, and we have witnessed prison riots so destructive that the prisons were considered unusable in their current state. Last month even the federal Leader of the Opposition, the Hon. Bill Shorten, said:

I don't think we need too many more reviews. We know the problem. We just need to toughen up on the offenders.

We know it. The federal opposition knows it. The state opposition knows it. The Victorian state Labor government has let Victorians down by not acting on law and order and have failed to protect Victorians from a sweeping wave of crime across the state, of which we have yet to see an end.

The Australian federal government's stance on law and order issues is irrefutable. I call on the federal opposition to help us to continue to protect Victorians in the absence of a state government with the courage to take actions to fix our broken justice systems and to fix the continuing law and order issues in Victoria.

Andrew Hastie (Canning, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is there a seconder for the motion.

Jason Wood (La Trobe, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.

Clare O'Neil (Hotham, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I feel like I might be the first person to have to inform the member for Dunkley that he has actually got himself elected to federal parliament, not to state parliament, and it speaks volumes that we have member of this House who has come in and moved a motion, three-quarters of which relates to the Victorian government and Victorian government issues. One might think, if we were being unkind, that it is because he does not have much good stuff to talk about in relation to what the Abbott-Turnbull government has been doing.

I want to address some of the comments that were made regarding the Victorian government, which, as I said, takes up about three-quarters of the member's motion, and then I will talk a little bit about what is an abysmal community safety record of this Abbott-Turnbull government—and I am glad that the member has provided me with the opportunity to do that.

The Andrews government came to power after four years of almost total inaction on the law and order front. It is hard to believe, with all of the ridiculous cries of anguish from those on the other side, that during the four years of the previous Liberal government in Victoria not a single sworn police officer was funded—over four years. There was an environment of rising crime, and it was becoming increasingly obvious that the state government was going to have to do something about it. But for four years the Liberal government sat there and did nothing.

In the just over two years that the Andrews government has been in power in Victoria a great deal has changed. Principally, 4,210 police personnel have been funded, and there are now more active police in service today than there were under the former government—despite, as I say, the hypocrisy from those on the other side. In addition to that $2.862 billion has been invested in policing and crime prevention. These are the headline numbers, but of course there is much more detailed policy work going on in the background.

Out of the additional police officers I talked about, 415 have specialised expertise, and a specialised role, in combating family violence. A dedicated 24-hour police assistance line has been set up for non-emergency calls. This is really critical because a lot of the crime that we are seeing in Victoria is not life-threatening, but it is very important that police are able to assist. Automatic number plate recognition technology has been extended to 220 highway patrol vehicles. Previously there were six with this capability, despite all of those issues in Victoria.

There has also been $2 million committed to improve police mental health—and we know that when there are big issues with crime police mental health suffers; $10 million for youth crime prevention programs; three new helicopters; and one fixed-wing aircraft. The examples go on and on.

Those are some of the areas of expenditure, but of course there has been some significant law reform which will help police tackle crime. One of the changes gives police the power to take more DNA samples than they were previously allowed to take, which will see the number of DNA samples analysed by police increase from 7,000 to 70,000.

This is just a very limited snapshot of what is underway. The Victorian government will be able to provide you with a much more detailed explanation. As I say, we are not the Victorian government here but we are finding ourselves talking about these issues, because the Turnbull government cannot think of any of its own achievements to talk about.

What I want to say about the Turnbull government is that it is particularly galling that this motion is being put forward by a member of that government—

Mr Crewther interjecting—

The member for Dunkley is new here, and he is probably not aware of what has been three years of horrendous inaction on community safety issues. We know that those on the other side love to drape themselves in the Australian flag. I know Minister Keenan loves nothing more than to stand up next to the uniforms when there has been a big drug bust. But, behind closed doors, something very different is going on in this government when it comes to community safety. Let me just mention a few of the highlights. This is a government that is cutting $100 million from the Australian Federal Police, which is a 10 per cent cut to our national policing budget, in an environment where the AFP is being asked to do more and more. It is an environment where police officers have not had a pay rise in two years and they have a very legitimate expectation of seeing their pay go up. Illicit guns are out of control, and the government is losing the war on drugs. All of these things have serious implications for Australians. So I would say to those on the other side: get your own house in order before you come in here and criticise the state Labor government.

Jason Wood (La Trobe, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to congratulate the member for Dunkley for putting up this motion. He is a member who cares about his constituency and who, like myself, must be inundated with inquiries from people who are actually living in fear in Victoria. That is not something we say lightly, but that is the situation we now have.

The facts are quite simple. When Premier Daniel Andrews was elected, the crime rate was 7,869 offences per 100,000 Victorians. Victoria's crime rate two years later is now 8,975—

Ms O'Neil interjecting—

Now I have just heard the member for Hotham interrupt, and it is absolutely disgusting how the member for Hotham actually stands there and—

Andrew Hastie (Canning, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for La Trobe can sit down. That is enough interjecting. The member for La Trobe has the call, and he will be heard.

Andrew Giles (Scullin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He just reflected on her.

Andrew Hastie (Canning, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am quite happy with what he said thus far.

Jason Wood (La Trobe, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I did not reflect on her; I know that. Between October 2015 and September 2016, this crime rate included 12.6 per cent more assaults; 21.5 per cent more robberies; 13.7 per cent more burglaries and break and enters, otherwise known as aggravated burglaries; 17.5 per cent more thefts; and 75 per cent more justice procedures. If you compare this with what is happening in New South Wales at the moment, their crime rate is going down, so there is simply an issue with this.

I am a former police officer, and what is happening in Victoria greatly concerns me. I have actually put a petition together that looks at adopting a 'one strike and you're out' policy when it comes to bail and serious violent crimes and changing the presumption laws for remand for violent offences so that the onus is shifted to the offender, and being granted bail becomes the exception rather than the rule.

The petition also looks at establishing a multiagency task force comprising Australian Federal Police, the Victorian police, immigration officials, intelligence analysts and, importantly, youth workers, to take on violent gangs and stop young people getting involved in gangs in the first place. It seeks to ensure that the multiagency task force has a footprint in the outer eastern suburbs and also the western suburbs, ensuring that growth corridors and hotspots for violent youth gangs are actively targeted. It seeks to ensure that existing settlement services are as well targeted as possible to help prevent young people from entering gangs in the first place and finding themselves in even more difficult situations when they realise the cost of leaving the gangs further down the track. It welcomes the strengthening of visa cancellation laws by the federal government in 2014 and the cancellation of the visas of foreign gang members involved in serious criminal acts. The petition calls for an examination of ways to strengthen visa-cancellation provisions where required to, firstly, deport violent gang members who are on visas if they commit serious criminal acts, and to, secondly, demand explanations and issue warning notices for less serious offences by young people on visas. It is only measures like these, and supporting the coalition's $50 million Safer Streets program, that are actually going to make a difference in Victoria.

We also need to look at the issues of unexplained wealth and firearms legislation. It seems ridiculous to me that the Labor Party are not willing to come on board when it comes to mandatory minimum sentences in relation to firearms offences. Three earlier attempts by the coalition government to crack down on illegal firearms trafficking by introducing mandatory minimum sentences have been blocked by Labor's hypocrisy. They are hypocrites, because the claim that is laid out in the Australian Labor Party's National Platform is that they oppose mandatory minimum sentencing, which is fair enough; however, the ALP's own 2010 election policy document, A secure and fair Australia, reads:

In May 2010, Federal Labor introduced tough new people smuggling offences. They included penalties of up to 20 years imprisonment and mandatory minimum terms of up to eight years.

The shadow minister for justice, Clare O'Neil, recently said this was 'something that honestly happened a long time ago'. To me, it was not that long ago.

We need to get tough on crime. We need to get tough on those committing serious, violent crimes in Victoria. Again I congratulate the member for Dunkley, who cares about his constituents and who is sick and tired of getting phone calls and messages from people who are victims or concerned about being the next victim.

Andrew Giles (Scullin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am very pleased in this debate to follow the contribution of my friend the member for Hotham, the shadow minister for justice. But I am disappointed that we are having a debate on these terms, which do not do anything for anyone, in Victoria or otherwise. This debate is a waste of the parliament's time. What we have heard in the contributions from members opposite is them seeing themselves as commentators—or perhaps complainers—rather than as people interested in solving serious problems. I hope, over the rest of this debate, I will be proven wrong but I do not think that is very likely.

The member for Hotham described the contributions of government members in this debate as 'galling'. I think that is actually pretty generous when you have regard to the record of this government and reflect particularly on two things: the true state of Victorian state political decision making and its consequences over the past six or seven years and also our role as members of this federal parliament. The member for Hotham was correct to reflect on some of the key failings of the Turnbull government—and, indeed, the failings on the record of its predecessor, led by the member for Warringah—in imposing cuts that have had a very serious impact. These are things that should be reflected on in the subject matter of this debate.

I was very interested to see, in the litany of complaint that constitutes the motion before the House at the moment, reference to the Safer Streets program. Of course there is a role for CCTV; I think we all understand that. But this program has been an extraordinary failure. Its failure was set out clearly not in Labor terms but by the Australian National Audit Office, which found that 90 per cent of the program's funding had been allocated to government-held seats. It was the purest of pork-barrelling disguised as concern for community safety, which is something we have seen all too often from conservatives. That is what is so disturbing: at one level hysteria is being fanned, with people being made to feel much more afraid than they should be; on another level, under the cover of a debate about community safety, there are efforts to foment division and attack social cohesion, when we should be joining in the shared challenge of ensuring that all of our communities are safe. It is of concern to me and to all members on this side of the House, and I know it is of genuine concern to members—

Honourable Member:

An honourable member interjecting—

Andrew Giles (Scullin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I missed the interjection, but I am sure it was very amusing. It is a concern that we all have—to reach out, to listen to concerns in the community and, where they are genuinely felt, to respond to them. A big part of the response is to look at our responsibilities and the responsibilities of state governments. I think all of us in Victoria are concerned about the increase in a range of crime statistics, most particularly family violence. I am very proud of the work of the state government, first in opposition, with now-Premier Andrews instituting the Neave royal commission and then committing to implement every single one of its recommendations. I do not think that there is a single act a state government in Australia could do that would have the same effect of crime reduction as that.

In turning to the complex issues which sit beneath this rhetorical motion, it is critical to note that it was actually in 2011 that most Victorian crime statistics started to increase and increase dramatically. That was under the then Baillieu, soon to be Napthine, government. Trying to repair the failure to invest in community safety under the Liberal government has been a challenge that the Andrews Labor government has confronted.

It is only Labor governments in Victoria that have funded frontline policing. We are starting to see a turnaround in response to that. In particular, we see youth crime now starting to go down. There is a contrast between the measured approach of the state government and the shameful fearmongering of the state opposition, which has caused international damage to Australia, as well as damaging communities. What we do not need in a debate about community safety is attention-grabbing and irresponsible statements like those of Matthew Guy or indeed the exploitation of programs like the Safer Streets Program for political benefit. On this side of the House, we are interested in a serious conversation—a conversation with community, a conversation with police, a conversation with state and territory governments, but a conversation that is based on fact and based on a sense of our responsibilities as federal parliamentarians.

Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to start by following on from the previous speaker, who made reference to the fact that we should look for real solutions in this important issue of how we protect Victorians and their safety. Of course, one of the best ways to make sure that you can deal with a problem is to identify the problem itself. That is the spirit and the intent of this motion. There are so many people in my electorate who now, really for the first time really in their adult lives, having lived in a safe community, are concerned about their safety and security. That is not in dispute. You go and talk to many residents. It was one of the highest-polling issues in a recent community survey that I did of the Goldstein electorate. In addition to matters like the national economy and making sure people have jobs and opportunity was that they could be safe in their homes, that they could be safe on their streets, that they were not at risk of carjacking.

If you had asked people in the wonderful electorate of Goldstein whether they had ever thought carjacking was going to be a risk in their lives, it would have been an absurdity. But they do not feel that way today. Why? Because they have a lived experience—of somebody they know, either directly or indirectly through the community—of the serious consequences that have occurred. It is about time people in this parliament, on both sides—and I always welcome the opportunity from the opposition—did something simple, which is to stand up and call out this behaviour, rather than simply seeking to involve themselves in political buck-passing on this issue.

The obligation of every government—particularly of a state government, responsible for corrections and police and emergency services—is to protect citizens from undue harm. The crime wave that has swept across the great state of Victoria causes genuine angst and fear. It is challenging to confront the idea that our communities are no longer safe and as harmonious as we would like them to be, but the reality is that this comes up from my constituents all the time. And, perhaps unlike some other members, we are listening, we are mindful and we are conscious of the human impact that occurs. The Crime Statistics Agency has reported that assaults have spiked by 12 per cent, robberies have increased by 24 per cent, thefts are up 16 per cent and overall crime is up by 10.2 per cent. There have been particularly high increases in the City of Glen Eira, which fits within the wonderful electorate of Goldstein, as well as the City of Bayside.

Daniel Andrews, tragically, has abandoned community safety and presided over a failing justice at the same time that these events happened. He cannot get past that. I know shouting and yelling from the opposition or having some sort of strong statement about what the Baillieu government did in the past might help them heal over their pain. But it is actually happening. We know sentencing has been weakened, and that has basically been now acknowledged by the state government. The bail laws have been watered-down, and that has basically been now acknowledged by the state government. And we have seen fundamental relocation of police resources to not protect the community. The Premier promised to tackle the issue of violent youth gangs who have consistently terrorised Victorians, but has not made the process that I think even he wanted to seek or achieve. The reality is that there is no stopping the aggregated burglaries, car thefts, home invasions, assaults and on-street carjackings.

There was a horrific example just outside of my electorate recently. A young man was in his car and on the phone to his husband. In the midst of that phone call, he got carjacked, in the middle of the day, in a shopping centre. If that can happen to somebody in their early 20s, imagine how vulnerable so many people feel if they are in their 60s, their 70s or their 80s. They just want to go out there; they just want to do a bit of shopping; they want to get on with their lives peacefully and normally with respect for other people. What they are experiencing is carjacking. We had another one in Brighton, where a women was robbed and assaulted before her car was ultimately stolen. The reality is that the tragic loss of Thalia Hakin in the Bourke Street carnage early this year is still very raw in my community, because Thalia was only 10 years old. We continue to stand with the Hakin family and given our heartfelt best wishes to her family—her mother and sister, Maggie.

Victorians have had enough. Federally, of course, we are listening and acting, and that is why programs like the $50 million Safer Communities Program provides funding to implement to solutions, including greater CCTV, as well as $116 million for a National Anti-Gang Squad. But there is only so much that we can do from Canberra. It takes a state government from Spring Street to act.

Peter Khalil (Wills, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

While the majority of matters relevant to this motion are state-based issues, I am very pleased to speak on this motion because it is important that we correct the record when such wildly inaccurate criticisms and claims are made in this place. It is supremely hypocritical for this coalition government to be crowing about the importance of national security and law and order whilst simultaneously defunding—gutting!—our federal policing and national security programs. This motion by the member for Dunkley is nothing more than a politically motivated attack on the Victorian Labor government and a grubby scare tactic designed to unsettle Victorians. It might be because of his rookie status, but probably he has been encouraged by his more experienced colleagues that sit next to him. This motion makes reference to Premier Daniel Andrews's election platform in which he stated that: 'More young people are turning to a life of crime. Crime has increased every year. Courts and prison systems are under huge pressure.' And it is on this basis that the Andrews government took action to address this challenge upon their election in 2014. You should take note of this because these are the facts. In just over two years, the Victorian government, under Labor, has invested an additional $2.8 billion in policing and crime prevention and an additional 4,210 police personnel have been funded. This is in contrast to the four years of the Liberal-National government when zero sworn police officers were funded—zero!

Here are some more facts for you: the Andrews government has also invested in a dedicated 24-hour police assistance line for nonemergency calls and a reporting website so that Victorians can contact police when and where they need to; an automatic number-plate recognition technology for 220 highway patrol vehicles to crack down on dangerous drivers; modernising and expanding the Victorian Police Air Wing with three new helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft; building a new training facility for Victorian Police Special Operations Group, bomb squad and Critical Incident Response Team; and $10 billion worth of youth crime prevention grants. The government has also expanded certain powers to allow the police to do their jobs and fight crime more effectively. The Andrews government has passed laws giving police the power to take DNA samples from the people suspected of committing an indictable offence without a court order and increased the number of DNA samples analysed by the police from 7,000 to 70,000 during their period of government.

They have also passed new laws targeting drive-by shootings. The hypocrisy of the member for Dunkley in putting up a motion like this flies in the face of the facts that I have just articulated and focuses on a state government, who are putting law and order at the forefront of their agenda. By contrast, the Turnbull government talk a big game about law and order but have quietly—it is not really quiet any more, because we have exposed it—ripped away funding from the Australian Federal Police and will wind up some of their most important programs.

Last month at Senate estimates—maybe the member for Dunkley might want to have a look at those transcripts—it was revealed that the Turnbull government has cut $100 million from the AFP's federal policing and national security programs over the forward estimates—$100 million from the AFP. That is your government; that is what you have done.

According to the AFP Commissioner Andrew Colvin, this $100 million cut will need to be made up by the AFP pulling back on their programs to tackle organised crime, illicit drugs and fraud—that is as a result of your actions. These programs include the AFP-led National Anti-Gangs Squad, which targets bikies and organised crime. We hear all about that from some of those opposite when we are in the chamber, and this program has already been cut by $6.3 million this year alone.

The government's $100 million cut will also result in the end of the AFP's targeting illicit gun crimes measure. Given the government's recent rhetoric on illegal firearms and the massive increase in firearm theft recently, this is quite extraordinary. It is actually breathtaking that you put this motion up.

Federal Labor has proposed tough new measures to allow courts to lock the worst firearm traffickers up for life but, instead of joining us to crack down on illegal gun trafficking, what has this government done? They have just focused on cheap tricks and mandatory minimum measures which the experts all agree do not work.

Commissioner Colvin also confirmed last month that the AFP has not even been able to factor in an expected pay rise for cops into its budget, and in fact we have even heard reports that our brave men and women on the frontline of federal policing are facing pay cuts of up to $35,000 because of the actions taken by this coalition government.

I would suggest to the member for Dunkley and the Turnbull government—it might be a rooky area by putting this motion up; I hope it is—that, instead of focusing on the Andrews government, which is actually doing things and making a commitment to law and order, and working hard to tackle crime and deliver a safer community for Victorians, it should support the AFP and focus on the many things it could be doing to tackle crime at a federal level.

Debate adjourned.