Victorian opposition pledges to expand Adult Crime, Adult Time laws

The Victorian opposition has pledged to add new offences to the state's Adult Crime, Adult Time laws if elected, including car theft and attempted carjacking.Late last year, the government, then led by Jacinta Allan, introduced sweeping sentencing reforms for children aged 14 and over who commit serious crimes.Children who commit crimes such as aggravated home invasion, carjacking and intentionally causing injury with gross violence now face adult sentences in adult courts.The Liberals and Nationals are now proposing to add five more offences to the suite of crimes covered by the laws if it wins the November state election.The crimes the opposition is proposing to add, and their maximum penalties, are:Theft of a motor vehicle — 10 years imprisonmentAttempted carjacking — 10 years imprisonmentAttempted aggravated carjacking — 25 years imprisonmentViolent disorder — 15 years imprisonmentReckless conduct endangering life — 10 years imprisonmentVictorian youths who commit serious crime face adult jail sentences following legislation introduced last year. (ABC News: ABC News)The Adult Crime, Adult Time laws passed parliament last December and followed similar laws introduced in Queensland.The tough laws were backed by some victims of crime advocates, including the family of murdered Melbourne doctor Ash Gordon.The move came amid a rise in crime in Victoria, particularly among youth.Shadow Attorney-General James Newbury said expanding the laws was a "key part" of the Liberals and Nationals policy on crime."Under Labor, serious youth offenders are getting off because they only half finish their crime and despite a record number of car thefts, youth criminals are being treated with kid gloves," he said in a statement."A Liberal and Nationals Government will ensure youth offenders who commit these crimes are treated like adults — because if you commit an adult crime, you should do adult time."Unlike Labor's weak laws, our plan means that for 25 serious crimes, there will be no more excuses and offenders will receive the punishment the community expects."Shadow Attorney General James Newbury announced the opposition's Adult Crime, Adult Time pledge on Friday morning. (ABC News)The Adult Crime, Adult Time laws were opposed by several legal groups who claimed it would impinge upon children's rights and worsen Victoria's crime crisis.The Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission said treating children as adults was inconsistent with well-established evidence on child development and disproportionate to the circumstances of youth offending."These changes are unlikely to reduce crime in the long term but are likely to have a significant impact on First Peoples, racialised communities and children with mental health issues who are already overly represented in our detention centres," Commissioner Ro Allen said when the laws were passed.Brisbane's Youth Advocacy Centre chief executive, Katherine Hayes, previously urged the Victorian premier to reconsider the bill, concerned Victoria will repeat Queensland's fate after the Sunshine State introduced similar laws."Queensland locks up more kids than anywhere else in Australia, more than New South Wales and Victoria combined, yet we've got one of the highest reoffending rates," Ms Hayes said.