The massive swing away from Victoria Labor at the Werribee by-election on Feb. 8 came amid major concerns about cost of living and crime in the traditional Labor heartland seat.
Labor’s John Lister narrowly held on over his Liberal counterpart, Steve Murphy, despite 16.6 percent of voters turning away from the centre-left party on their primary vote.
Murphy, a former policeman and army trooper, told The Epoch Times before the by-election that small businesses owners and families were tired of being robbed, and having their buildings and homes damaged by criminals.
“[Crime] is certainly a genuine issue for the electorate. They are [tired of it],” he said last month.
This is a sentiment shared by Cheryl Bell, who works at the Tobacco Gifts & Accessories store on Watton St.
She has seen her fair share of drug-riddled violence and robberies along the main street of Werribee.
“One was in here before, and he ended up down near the pub wielding a baseball bat,” she told The Epoch Times.
Calls for Tougher Bail Laws
The Allan government’s bail laws have been the subject of prolonged debate in state parliament.One repeat youth offender has been bailed over 50 times and was released on Feb. 13.
The person allegedly re-offended 12 hours later, and has committed four aggravated burglaries.
“The only way [the state government is] going to solve that is don’t give them bail, or send them back to where they come from,” Bell said.
Bell commented that left-leaning lawmakers in Victoria were more concerned with taking a soft, appeasement approach with young offenders.
“The judges are letting these kids out on bail,” she said.
“Nothing is working. So make judges accountable—put his job and paycheck on the line.
More Talk of Drug-Fuelled Violence
A security guard said you only had to walk around the Werribee CBD for a matter of minutes to notice drug taking activity.“You get abused. Even if you just walk around the streets, you can notice it,” the security guard told The Epoch Times on condition of anonymity.
“Today I saw a guy holding a steel rod in his hand. He was walking down the street yelling at strangers.
“I was worried he might use it on someone.”
Marty, who works at a news agency on Watton St, said most small businesses in the street have been hit by burglaries.
“I would think [most businesses in the street have been robbed]. The chemist has, we have,” he told The Epoch Times.
“I haven’t seen any knives come out. I’ve seen them smash windows in the cars parked along here.
“It’s because they’re homeless and they’ve got drugs. They use drugs all the time. The amount of time they go and take stuff from [a nearby supermarket], and nothing happens to them. [I’ve lost count],” Marty added.
He has also witnessed mentally unstable individuals damaging property wontonly.
Premier Promises Bail Law Reviews
Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan announced she would review the state’s bail laws on Feb. 4.“This is recognition that crime hurts working people and their families who have worked so hard for what they’ve got,” she said.
“It’s unacceptable to me that many Victorians, particularly women and children, aren’t feeling as safe as they should be.
“It’s clear to me that we need to look at what more needs to be done.”
The leader of the Liberal opposition, Brad Battin, believes Victorians are already suffering.
“Enough is enough. We don’t need another review—we need to toughen bail laws now to protect the community,” he said.
“Violent offenders who break into homes with machetes don’t belong on the street. They don’t deserve to be released from custody in record time, only to terrorise another family in their home.”
