Premier Jacinta Allan has ordered a review of Victoria’s new bail laws just six months after they were passed, sparking claims the move is driven by panic ahead of this weekend’s Werribee byelection. The laws, which make it harder for repeat offenders to be released and create a new offence for committing serious crimes while on bail, came into effect in December.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Allan said the government needed to “respond to what we’re hearing from the community” and “go further”. She denied the review was linked to the byelection or polling showing Labor’s primary vote slipping to 22 per cent, instead framing crime as a working-class issue. The attorney general, Sonya Kilkenny, noted the laws were only now “working their way through the system”, leading to more people on remand.
Crime has been a persistent issue in Werribee, where several high-profile incidents include a body found at a Mambourin playground and a stabbing death in Wyndham Vale. Criminal incidents in the Wyndham region rose 13.3 per cent in the year to September 2024. While offending rates remain consistent with pre-Covid levels, conservative media and the opposition have fuelled talk of a crime crisis.
Labor MPs have expressed concerns that the party could lose the seat despite a 10.9 per cent margin, with some describing the review as “too little too late”. Others hope it will shore up support in nearby seats for the 2026 election. Some MPs have speculated about Allan’s leadership, though no moves to oust her have emerged yet.
During the press conference, Allan avoided basic questions about the review and deflected attention to family violence. The announcement also overlooks previous bail inquiries, including a 2022 parliamentary review and a 2023 coronial inquiry into the death of Veronica Nelson, which described bail laws as a “complete, unmitigated disaster”. The government made changes in 2023 but included a two-year statutory review.
