Criminals who boast about their crimes on social media will serve extra time under new laws in Victoria
Criminals who boast about their crimes online could serve extra jail time under news laws introduced in Victoria.
The Allan Labor government will outlaw bragging about certain crimes on social media and messaging apps, which could see offenders serve an additional two years behind bars on top of their sentence.
The new law targets criminals who post content about their crimes such as affray, burglary, robbery, car theft, carjacking, home invasions and violent disorder.
The laws will also apply to anyone caught encouraging or facilitating the same crimes.
The legislation was introduced after authorities noticed a 'dangerous trend' on TikTok and Snapchat from users seeking attention about their crimes and copycat offending.
Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny said Victorians were outraged by offenders posting and boasting about their crimes, which was why they were taking action.
'This crack down alongside our tough new bail laws and machete ban is all about keeping Victorians safe,' she said.
Police Minister Anthony Carbines these laws backed the work of Victoria Police and sent a clear message to offenders.
'Crime isn't content, it isn't entertainment, and it won't be tolerated,' he said.
Similar laws already exist in NSW, Queensland and the Northern Territory, and are being rolled in Tasmania, West Australia and South Australia making Victoria the last state to act.
Shadow Attorney-General Michael O'Brien said the opposition raised an issue that offenders used social media to glorify criminal behaviour 18 months ago, but the government denied action was necessary until now.
He said too many Victorians who were victims of serious offending had insult added to injury by perpetrators bragging about their crimes online.
Mr O'Brien said the government had been dragged kicking and screaming to act after denying there was a problem.
'Labor did it with weak bail laws. Labor did it with banning machetes. Now Labor is doing it with 'post and boast' offending,' he said.
'Victorians deserve better than 'deny, delay and drag'. It's no way to protect community safety.'
But the Justice Reform Initiative's Executive Director Mindy Sotiri said the Victorian government had reverted to political posturing, missing an opportunity to engage with evidence about what worked to support community safety and prevent reoffending.
The organisation reported Victoria's correctional system was under mounting strain after changes to bail laws, seeing the adult remand population and the number of children on remand rise by 22 per cent and 71 per cent respectively in the past year.
Dr Sotiri said further punishing people for posting to social media failed to address the drivers of that behaviour and won't work as a deterrent.
'Introducing penalties for 'posting and boasting' sounds catchy and might work for political pointscoring in the short-term, but is not based in any evidence, 'she said.
'All the evidence shows that the earlier children have interaction with the criminal justice system, the more likely they are to be cycling in and out of it for years to come. That's a bad result for children, for taxpayers and for community safety.
'We've seen this 'tough on crime' approach repeatedly fail in Queensland and contribute to rapidly rising prison numbers in NSW.
'Rather than trying to outdo other jurisdictions with even harsher laws, Victoria needs to take a smarter approach that meaningfully invests in evidence-based responses to crime that genuinely disrupt its reoccurrence.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Victorian build-to-rent landlords dodge new minimum lease terms
The Victorian government has quietly backed away from a plan to set minimum 12-month lease terms for thousands of Melbourne rentals. A proposed change to the Land Tax Act 2005 would have removed a deduction offered to build-to-rent operators from January 1 next year, unless they set the minimum lease term. Industry groups challenged the plan, citing research showing that between 10 and 30 per cent of tenants signing on for leases in the city's tenants-only complexes had specifically sought shorter terms. They also warned removing the tax benefit could have impacted attracting much needed development to build more rental homes across Melbourne. The city is currently Australia's capital for build-to-rent apartments, which effectively replace mum and dad investor landlords with corporate groups and super funds. Earlier this week the Victorian government acknowledged 1000 build-to-rent apartments had been built in the 2023-2024 financial year, with a further 18,200 under construction. The changes requiring the minimum term were removed from the State Taxation Acts Amendment Bill 2025 just prior to its passage into parliament late this week. In 2020 the Victorian government created a tax benefits program for build-to-rent projects that has helped it to become the nation's top destination for developers planning such builds. It is understood the decision to remove the minimum terms requirement is subject to further discussion with the property industry. Property Council of Australia Victorian executive director Cath Evans said the change was vital to accommodate a wide range of renters including couples separating, people working interstate for short periods, families completing home renovations who needed the flexibility of shorter leases. 'So we were very pleased to see the government took our advice and has amended the policy as it went through,' Ms Evans said. She added that with the change maintaining stability for the build-to-rent sector, it was hoped more operators would be willing to undertake developments in the space and help boost the supply of new homes for tenants in Melbourne. 'There is a significant need to grow the BTR sector further as part of our broader need to deliver more homes for Victorians,' Ms Evans said. 'A more competitive property taxation regime is critical across all parts of the housing market to keep investment flowing and delivering the homes our communities urgently need.' Build-to-rent projects typically cater for Melbourne's higher-priced rental market, with many operators charging more than $800 a week for two-bedroom residences, but offering significant levels of luxury ranging from pools and gyms to podcasting and work-from home spaces around the complexes. With operators typically seeking to engage tenants long term, leases of up to three years are not uncommon where would-be residents are seeking security. Traditional residential tenancies do not currently have minimum lease terms, with most set at one year before rolling over to a month-by-month arrangement — or being renewed for another 12 months. Tenants Victoria chief executive Jennifer Beveridge said they would be speaking with the government further about creating more stability and security for tenants. 'The government have said they want to consult more with renters, and we'll be calling for more availability of longer term options,' Ms Beveridge said. 'Build-to-rent properties are built for the express purpose of remaining rental homes. We should take this opportunity to give people real security to stay there and make homes in them.'
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
E-bike riders charged over Sunshine Coast fire extinguisher incident
Two teenagers have been charged over an incident that left a baby in hospital when a fire extinguisher was allegedly sprayed through a car window on the Sunshine Coast. Police have charged the boys from Buderim, aged 14 and 15, with a long list of offences, including wilful damage and assault occasioning bodily harm. The pair who were riding an e-bike are accused of letting off a fire extinguisher into the open back window of Tiffani Teasdale's car while she was stopped at traffic lights at Sippy Downs last weekend. Her five-month-old daughter, Pixie, was in the back seat and had to have her eyes cleaned by doctors with saline solution. The residue left a thick film blanketing the car's interior, destroying the baby's pram, toys and nappy bag. Police allege the fire extinguisher was stolen from a nearby car park earlier that night. Earlier this week, investigators released security footage of the duo and launched a public appeal to identify them. The boys will be dealt with under the Youth Justice Act and will not be required to appear in the Queensland Children's Court.
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Man dies after being struck by Transperth bus outside Perth Arena
A 45-year-old man has died after he was hit by a bus while crossing the road near the Perth Arena on Friday night. A Public Transit Authority bus was turning right onto Wellington Street from Milligan Street at around 6:15pm when it hit the man who was crossing the road. He sustained critical injuries and died at the scene. The 37-year-old bus driver was not injured and is assisting police with its investigation. Major Crash investigators are appealing for anyone with information or dashcam footage of the scene to contact police. There was increased foot traffic in the area on Friday night due to a sports event at the Perth Arena, but it is not yet known whether the man was attending the event. It comes after a woman was killed after being hit by a Transperth bus on the Causeway in East Perth in March.
