Questions without notice and ministers statements
BailSafe Australia
Brad BATTIN (Berwick – Leader of the Opposition) (14:02): My question is to the Premier. I refer to the recent collapse of BailSafe Australia. How many violent criminals are currently in the community without the required supervision, putting the community at risk?
Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:02): Acknowledging the Leader of the Opposition’s question, can I first provide some information to the house regarding BailSafe and be very clear that Victoria Police monitors offenders through regular bail compliance checks and that the use of electronic monitoring as a bail condition is a decision that is made by the independent courts through their bail-setting processes. In regard to BailSafe, my advice is that Victoria Police and the Office of Public Prosecutions are thoroughly examining this situation, so we are awaiting their advice.
In regard to the question in terms of the number of offenders on bail that this impacts, the advice I have from Victoria Police is that the number is eight and that Victoria Police are going through individual assessments and also going through a process to go back before the courts to have bail revoked for these matters.
Brad BATTIN (Berwick – Leader of the Opposition) (14:04): How has the government allowed Victorians to be put at risk by allowing bail-monitoring services to be run by a man charged with possession of steroids and methamphetamines and violating a personal safety intervention order?
Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:04): In answer to that question, this is a decision that is taken by the courts. I remind the Leader of the Opposition that the courts operate independently and that these are independent decisions made by the court.
Members interjecting.
The SPEAKER: Members will be removed from the chamber without warning.
Danny Pearson interjected.
The SPEAKER: The Minister for Economic Growth and Jobs will leave the chamber for half an hour.
Minister for Economic Growth and Jobs withdrew from chamber.
Jacinta ALLAN: Bail conditions, including the use or otherwise or not of electronic monitoring, are decisions made independently by the courts as they consider those individual bail matters.