Arabic version: الائتلاف يقترح محكمة مستقلة للاستئناف الجنائي في فيكتوريا

According to ABC News, the Victorian Coalition will seek to split the existing Court of Appeal into criminal and civil courts if it wins the November state election. Its proposal includes creating a standalone Court of Criminal Appeal to hear offender appeals and sentencing reviews.

The opposition says judges with criminal prosecution expertise would be appointed to the new court, with the aim of ensuring sentences for serious crimes meet community expectations. Opposition Leader Jess Wilson said Victoria’s criminal justice system was broken and that offenders were not afraid of consequences. Shadow Attorney General James Newbury said he had consulted with the courts, but did not say whether he had spoken with members of the judiciary.

The announcement comes after Victorian crime statistics showed youth crime fell for the first time in four years, while adult crime rose 10 per cent. The increase was linked to factors including breaches of bail, retail theft and breaches of family violence orders. Liberal member for Mordialloc Paul O’Halloran, a former police officer, said police were frustrated by bail decisions, releases and sentences they believed did not reflect community expectations.

Premier Ben Carroll criticised the plan, saying it would delay cases moving through the Court of Appeal. The Law Institute of Victoria, which represents more than 22,000 lawyers and people working in the state’s legal system, raised concerns over the policy. President Tom Ballantyne said the Court of Appeal checks whether a judge has made a legal mistake, rather than imposing sentences sought by politicians. He said Victorian appeal judges already had extensive criminal expertise and warned that any government attempt to influence court outcomes or select judges for expected decisions could threaten judicial independence, the separation of powers and democracy.