Ministerial Reshuffle – Law & Order

Shadow Minister for Police, Edward O’Donohue

Daniel Andrews has today completely failed to provide a coherent response to the community safety crisis plaguing Victoria.
Instead of offering a co-ordinated approach to law and order in Victoria, Daniel Andrews has split responsibility for keeping Victorians safe between 4 different ministers.
Daniel Andrews has created a situation in Victoria where police, emergency services, corrections, and the justice system are all the responsibilities of different people.
The community corrections system for instance requires involvement from the Attorney-General, to manage the legislative framework; the Corrections Minister, to manage the system and the Police Minister to ensure enforcement. This critical system which has seen enormous growth since the Boulton Decision is now cut across three different portfolios.
Similarly, the implementation of the Harper Review will impact many elements of the justice system and under Labor’s new model, many different ministers.
What Victoria needs now is a strong, clear response to our law and order crisis, by splitting the key justice ministries across four different ministers this now becomes more difficult.
Under the Andrews Labor Government, frontline police numbers have been cut, our jails have seen the worst riots in the state’s history, drive-by shootings and youth gangs have become emboldened and our regularly terrorising our streets.
There is no more important job of government than to keep the community safe but it is now clear that this is at best an afterthought for Daniel Andrews.

Media contact: James Duncan 0457 758 018 james.duncan@opposition.vic.gov.au