“Any delays to wholesale reform will mean the Andrews government will continue inflicting unnecessary and preventable harm on people,especially Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women,and put them at risk of dying in a police or prison cell,” she said.
“The family of Veronica Nelson has made it clear that any bail reforms must be fair,compliant with the Victorian Charter of Human Rights,and will not needlessly discriminate against people experiencing disadvantage.”
Nerita Waight,chief executive of the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service,said the 2017 bail laws “were the most punitive and regressive in Australia”.
The government had tightened bail laws after James Gargasoulas killed six people in the 2017Bourke Street massacre while on bail. The 2018 changes expanded the “reverse onus” test,requiring people accused of a wide range of offences to prove “compelling reasons” and “exceptional circumstances” to be granted bail.
“The 2017 bail laws are a stain on Daniel Andrews’ time as premier – they are his biggest policy failure. They have done immeasurable harm to thousands of people,their families,and their communities,” Waight said.
“Veronica’s family and Aboriginal communities across Victoria have been consistent in asking for urgent bail reform. It has been three and a half years since Veronica’s passing – why should we have to wait any longer? The Andrews government have shown they can move much quicker when they care to.”
Nelson’s family outlined their vision for change,referred to asPoccum’s Law (“Poccum” was Nelson’s nickname as a child),in March.
Gabrielle Williams,the Minister for Treaty and First Peoples,said Symes was working on the bail reforms.
“I don’t want to for a second underestimate the difficulty in this work and the challenge for the attorney and doing it. I know she remains committed to getting it right,” she said on Monday.
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“And to being able to strike that balance too,in protecting Victorians from that dangerous and high-level offending,while also ensuring,though,that we’re not unnecessarily imprisoning vulnerable communities for low-level offending. That’s a balancing act she is currently working on.”
Images contained in this story were released to the media with permission from the family. For crisis support run by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,contact 13YARN (13 92 76).
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