The Andrews Labor Government is keeping Victorians safe with tough new laws to tighten the net on the state’s worst offenders passing Parliament overnight.
Minister for Corrections Steve Herbert said the new powers will provide greater protection for the Victorian community and hold offenders on supervision orders to account.
The reforms to the Serious Sex Offenders (Detention and Supervision) Act will:
- make community safety the paramount consideration when the Adult Parole Board and courts make decisions about the supervision and management of serious sex offenders
- expand the conditions of supervision orders for serious sex offenders to include a ban on violent offending and behaviour
- introduce a statutory minimum term of 12 months imprisonment for intentional or reckless breaches of certain supervision order conditions
- extend the period of time Victoria Police can hold serious sex offenders without charge from 10 to 72 hours
- provide police with new search and seizure powers when supervising a serious sex offender
The new laws deliver on key recommendations in the Harper Review and build on an extra $84 million in funding to manage serious sex offenders, announced in the Victorian Budget 2016/17.
The laws close a gap in the post-sentence scheme that previously meant sex offenders could only be managed for their risk of committing sex offences, not violent offences.
The Labor Government is in the process of overhauling the system for supervising the state’s most serious criminals, building new secure facilities, expanding supervision and introducing reforms to keep Victorians safe.
The funding includes a new 20-bed secure facility for offenders who can’t be managed in Corella Place or in the community, additional mental health resources for violent offenders, and a new governance model to oversee the post-sentence scheme.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Corrections Steve Herbert
“The changes make it clear that the safety of the community must come first.”
“For the first time, authorities will have the power to manage serious sex offenders for violent, not just sexual offences.”
“As promised, the Andrews Labor Government is delivering on the recommendations of the Harper Review and is overhauling the management of serious sex offenders to build a safer Victoria.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020