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In short:
Premier Jacinta Allan meets Wyndham leaders after two children are killed, as the opposition slams Labor over machete bins, weak bail laws and rising crime.
Community pressure grows as Allan faces crime crisis.
Premier Jacinta Allan has met with Wyndham’s South Sudanese community leaders following the violent killing of two children, aged 12 and 15, as the state grapples with what the opposition, and indeed many Victorians, describes as a worsening crime wave.
In a statement, Premier Allan said she had spoken with Richard Deng, Chair of the South Sudanese Community of Wyndham, and John Garang Kon, Chair of the South Sudanese Community of Melton. She told them the government “mourns with them following the loss of two children in a shocking and violent killing” and pledged support in their “fight against the cancer of youth gang crime that is breaking their community’s heart.”
The Premier announced that the South Sudanese Australian Youth Justice Expert Working Group will meet directly with community members in Wyndham, joined by the Minister for Youth Justice, the Minister for Police and Victims, and Victoria Police representatives.
“The solutions to the fight against violent crime can’t just be imposed upon the community. They must come from the community,” Premier Allan said.
The opposition accused the Allan Labor Government of failing to protect Victorians, pointing to delays in banning machetes, the introduction of machete bins instead of outright bans, and weak bail laws.
They said Victoria has become “the crime capital of Australia,” citing machete attacks at shopping centres, carjackings with children inside, and assaults on workers. They argued that underfunded police and “delay after delay on banning machetes and dealing with retail crime” have worsened the crisis.
“The Allan Labor Government refused to act on machete crime, retail crime and tougher bail laws more than 660 days ago when the Liberals and Nationals presented real and practical solutions such as Break Bail, Face Jail and machete bans,” the opposition said in a statement.
The Liberals have launched a statewide consultation called Shape Victoria, which they say will give residents a voice on tackling crime and restoring confidence in the justice system.
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