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Community Safety

In the past three years I’ve held many town hall meetings, stood in shopping precincts and knocked on doors to hear from the people of Kooyong.  A topic often raised by constituents is the importance of feeling safe in their homes and in their community. 

Ensuring community safety requires effort from all levels of government, police, businesses, and residents. It's a complex issue needing urgent, evidence-based action. 

While some forms of crime are down, a recent spike in aggravated burglaries, home invasions, and car thefts in Kooyong has made many residents feel anxious and unsafe. 

The youth justice system struggles to rehabilitate young offenders once they are in prison.  Our courts are overwhelmed with repeat offenders. Existing bail laws are not fit for purpose. It costs a million dollars a year to lock up a child. That money would be better spent on targeted support for vulnerable children and their families - before young people are incarcerated.   

Our community has also been facing increasing antisemitism and other forms of hate crime. All forms of hate speech, use of hate symbols, and racism are unacceptable. I’ve spoken about this in parliament and in our community, and I’m working with community leaders to act wherever possible. 

What I’ve been doing  

  • Consulted with residents, local police, councils, and community leaders on crime prevention.  
  • Promoted and hosted neighbourhood policing forums and called for urgent meetings with state and federal leaders on burgalries and hate crimes.  
  • Called for more investment in diversion programs, family violence prevention, and drug and alcohol services, to address drivers of youth crime. 
  • Hosted the National Children’s Commissioner in Parliament House for forums on youth justice. 

My priorities are:

  • Governments must ensure police are well-staffed and supported to investigate crimes, apprehend offenders, and carry out proactive policing interventions.
  • I’ve supported legislative reform to address anti-social behaviours, hate symbols and hate speech, and called for stronger measures to combat antisemitism.   
  • The Victorian government must update bail laws to stop repeat perpetrators being released without consequence or effective oversight. 
  • The Education and Justice Departments must work to keep children at school and living in a safe environment for as long as possible.  We need to provide better support for youth justice, homelessness, mental health, and local family violence services.

What we can do to improve community safety