Coalition wants to split Court of Appeal to focus on tougher sentences

The Victorian opposition has announced plans to split the Court of Appeal in two if it wins the upcoming state election. Their proposal is to establish a new Court of Criminal Appeal, with the aim of ensuring judges with backgrounds in criminal justice handle sentencing reviews. The Labor government has dismissed the plan, arguing it would create delays in the court system.

The opposition promises to introduce a specialist Court of Criminal Appeal to deal with serious offenders and sentencing. This new court would be staffed by specialised judges with expertise in criminal prosecutions, tasked with handling appeals by offenders and ensuring sentencing for serious crime meets community expectations.

Recent crime statistics for Victoria show a decline in youth crime for the first time in four years, although adult crime rose by 10 percent due to factors such as increases in bail breaches, retail theft, and family violence order breaches.

Opposition Leader Jess Wilson stated that Victoria's criminal justice system is broken and offenders are not deterred by the consequences. She emphasized that Victorians are tired of seeing offenders get a "slap on the wrist" and that her party has a plan to keep Victorians safe by ensuring the court system meets community expectations.

Former police officer and Liberal member for Mordialloc, Paul O Halloran, joined Wilson and Shadow Attorney General James Newbury for the policy announcement, highlighting the frustration of police officers who have worked with offenders being bailed and released without sentences reflecting community expectations. Newbury stated that he has consulted with the courts in a manner Victorians would expect, though he did not specify if he discussed the policy with any judiciary members.

When new Victorian Premier Ben Carroll took over leadership last month, he placed crime at the forefront of his agenda. He mentioned his first phone call was to Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush to discuss police resourcing. Carroll's coalition's plan to split the existing Court of Appeal into a Court of Criminal Appeal and a Court of Civil Appeal was met with criticism from the current government, who argued it would cause delays in moving cases through the Court of Appeal.

Carroll emphasized that the modern Liberal party lacks talent and solicitors, and the new policy announcement is a testament to this. He claimed that the opposition's policy idea shows they have not done any homework.