2025-11-14
In an unprecedented move the Victorian Ombudsman has written to Ellen Sandell, the Leader of the Victorian Greens, warning of the dire consequences of Jacinta Allan’s new laws to put children through the adult court system, potentially putting 14 year olds in prison for 20 years to life.
The independent Ombudsman wrote to raise the alarm that the new laws will not increase community safety and will lead to more misuse of power and human rights abuses in our prisons.
The Ombudsman said she has already seen a rapid increase in the number of people in custody, leading to less humane treatment and less effective rehabilitation, which does not improve community safety in the long run.
Experts and The Greens warn that panicked policy on-the-run will make our communities less safe, and ruin young people’s lives. It will disproportionately impact First Nations people and people of colour who are already over-represented in our justice system.
Quotes attributable to Leader of the Victorian Greens, Ellen Sandell.
“It is quite extraordinary that an independent Ombudsman is raising the alarm - it shows the community should be deeply worried about Labor’s new laws and how they will make our communities less safe, ruin young lives, and create huge risks and abuses in the prison system.
“Labor MPs themselves have said this panicked policy on-the-run was done purely to win votes at the next election. Labor is ruining the lives of young people just to cling to power, and that’s a new low even for Labor.”
-ENDS-
Media contact: Iliana Keskerides 0491 012 791