Motion: Debate Be Adjourned: Crime Crisis

MOTION

‘DEBATE BE ADJOURNED: CRIME CRISIS’.

Thursday, 20 June 2024.

Mr NEWBURY (Brighton) (12:22):

I move:

That debate be adjourned.

I move that debate be adjourned because this is just another attempt by this Government to deflect away from the important issue of the day. That is what we on this side of the House know.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: I will remove Members from the Chamber. The Member for Brighton has the call. Member for Brighton, you have a microphone. There is no need to yell.

James NEWBURY: I am not yelling. I am using my voice, which I am entitled to do. After the Coalition attempted to adjourn debate on the previous Bill, the Government have moved to one of their sledge motions – of course they have. Twice they have avoided the issue of the day, the most important issue to Victorians, and that is the crime crisis in this state. That is how desperate this Government is. They have moved sneakily to a debate about nuclear. That is what they have done. It is absolutely outrageous. They have been caught, and that is why I have moved that the debate be adjourned from their sneaky sledge motion. We will not allow them to use their tactics in this Chamber, their numbers in this chamber, to try and deflect again from the important issue of today, and the important issue of today is the crime crisis in Victoria.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: The member for Narre Warren North can leave the chamber for half an hour.

Member for Narre Warren North withdrew from chamber.

The SPEAKER: Member for Frankston, you were on your feet for a point of order.

Paul Edbrooke: No, Speaker. I was just going to go to the men’s.

James NEWBURY: I do not think we need permission for that, but what we do need this House to agree on is that this Government stop denying crime. That is what this House must agree on. We must agree that the Government stop hiding from crime and stop ignoring crime, and when you look at the crimes that are occurring in our community, we must adjourn debate.

Mathew Hilakari: Thank you for your advice earlier. On a point of order, Speaker, this is a tight procedural debate and I ask you to bring the member to order.

The SPEAKER: I think the Member for Brighton was on the procedural motion.

James NEWBURY: Thank you for the try. It is outrageous to think that the Government has used the sneaky tactics of this Chamber to try and twice stop a debate on crime. We have caught them, so we will be having a debate on crime. When you look at the crime statistics in these Members’ electorates, they are going up. We saw the horrific incidents of crime in my community on the
weekend, when young girls were working in my local grocers. Three young staff in one of my local grocers were attacked by these men with knives. It was outrageous. What did we hear from the Government after those crimes occurred? The Government talked them down. How outrageous. What gaslighting! These poor kids in one of my local stores who were working hard. That is the type of stuff that the community expects us to be talking about, because my community wants tougher laws when it comes to punishment.

My community wants tougher bail laws, and the only way we will see that is if the Parliament adjourns these silly little sledge motions and talks about issues important to Victorians: a 10 per cent increase in crime, a 20 per cent increase in youth crime, a nearly 20 per cent increase in aggravated burglaries. Do you think it is okay that the Government has shut 43 police stations, including Bayside? Bayside station is shut at night, and now when people go to the Bayside station from 5 o’clock at night there is a sign on the door saying that it is shut. It is not good enough. That is why this Parliament must debate this urgent issue immediately. We move fiercely for the Parliament to be provided time to find solutions to these important issues to Victorians. We cannot allow the victims to not have their voice, and that is why the Coalition is moving to have this debate now.