Only 50 young offenders eligible for GPS trial
As the federal election looms, the Victorian Labor Government has announced a new youth bail initiative in a move critics say is both necessary—and years overdue.
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Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny today visited Youth Justice staff to mark the start of a two-year electronic monitoring trial that will allow courts to impose GPS tracking and intensive supervision on select young people aged 14 to 18 who are released on bail.
The trial, capped at 50 participants, targets serious youth offenders in metropolitan Melbourne and is being positioned as a tough-on-crime measure. It follows a wave of public concern about violent youth offending, much of it involving repeat offenders already on bail.
But despite the strong rhetoric, the program arrives after years of mounting community frustration. Many in growth corridors like Wyndham argue that Labor’s response to escalating youth crime has been reactive, not proactive—coming only after intense public pressure, high-profile crimes, and sustained media coverage.
Labor’s newly reformed bail laws now place community safety at the centre of decisions and scrap the principle that remand for youth should be a last resort. But these changes, too, came only after growing criticism of policies that were seen as too lenient.
The new electronic monitoring trial allows courts to impose curfews and geographic restrictions, with breaches referred to Victoria Police. Participants will also receive support services, including access to education, drug and alcohol treatment, and housing stability support.
Still, concerns remain about whether the reforms go far enough—or have come too late. Critics note that high-risk offenders have already caused harm while on bail under previous laws, and that the limited scale of the trial—just 50 young people—may fail to address the scale of the problem.
The Department of Education will assign trial participants to one of 57 alternative education settings. School leadership will retain the right to flag concerns if a student’s placement creates safety risks for others.
The program is part of a broader crime prevention push, including $40 million for the Youth Crime Prevention Program and the recruitment of nearly 50 specialist youth officers.
As the 2025 federal election approaches, law and order is shaping up as a major issue for voters in outer-suburban seats like Lalor, where frustrations over housing, cost-of-living, and community safety have intensified. Labor, which holds the seat, is under increasing pressure to show results—not just promises.
The bail trial may signal a change in approach, but many are still asking why it took so long—and whether the government is now in catch-up mode.
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