Wednesday, 13 November 2024

Western Victoria Region

Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (12:43): My question for the Minister for Police is further to my question last sitting week. Minister, I asked about what police will do to restore public confidence in the safety of Geelong streets. Today I want to expand this question on behalf of my Geelong constituents and ask about the statewide approach to knife crime. Jayme ‘Chugs’ Sykes’s family have begun a petition. As they wrote to me:

Our mission … is to raise awareness that carrying a knife is a coward’s move, we want to see tougher knife crime laws, more robust sentencing and prison terms for carrying a knife. Swifter sentencing and giving Police more power to deal with knife crime and then education in schools to raise the point that you should Carry Respect Not a KNIFE!

Minister, were your recent changes, which did not even ban machetes, enough to avoid another tragedy like this?

The PRESIDENT: Sorry, Mrs McArthur, did you refer to a tragedy in your electorate?

Bev McARTHUR: Yes, in Geelong.