We Must Condemn Racist Fear Mongering
This Andrews Labor government is following the Liberals in a race to the bottom on law and order.
The Liberals tell us we should all be afraid of African gangs roaming the streets, but they are doing this to deliberately whip up fear in the community so they can swoop in, blame Labor and win some votes.
It is a disgrace. But what is even more important is the way that Labor has responded. They have tried to outdo the Liberals on who can introduce the harshest, the toughest and the cruellest policies when it comes to law and order.
Now, trying to outdo the Liberals in cruelty — we know that is Labor’s modus operandi (MO) when it comes to refugees and asylum seekers, but I did not expect it would be their MO here in Victoria when it came to law and order.
So what have Labor done in response? They have moved kids from juvenile justice centres to brutal adult prisons. They are building a new prison rather than actually trying to keep people out of prison in the first place or dealing with the people languishing on remand.
They have given the police more and more powers, now including dangerous new weapons. And this week, Labor have introduced new laws that will lock up kids as young as 14 — not for committing any crime but just for associating or talking with people of interest, some of them who might be their family members.
There is a better way. We can look to Texas, where they are taking money out of prisons and putting it into early childhood education and mental health — getting tough on the causes of crime — but that would not get as good a headline in the Herald Sun, would it?
They should be ashamed.
Ellen
