Gippsland › Latest news › Melina Bath MP
Bath criticises Labor blocking immediate 'Machete Ban', prioritises politics over community safety amid rising knife crime
Machetes remain legal for four more months after Labor blocked a Nationals-Liberals bill to ban them immediately, prioritising politics over public safety amid rising crime and police funding cuts.
Dangerous machetes will remain on our streets for a further four months after the Allan Labor government voted down a bill put forward by The Nationals and Liberals to immediately ban them in state parliament this week.
The Allan government continues to put headlines before community safety. With serious knife crime growing, the public just want them off our streets, says Melina Bath
Machetes still legal
The Nationals' Melina Bath took Labor to task for its political stunt that removed machetes from sale, but not our streets. "Machetes can still be possessed because Labor has for the fifth time in two years refused to close the legal loophole that allows these large knives to be carried around."
"Labor's delays in tightening regulation around machete possession are disgraceful. The Allan government continues to put headlines before community safety. With serious knife crime growing, the public just want them off our streets," said Ms Bath.
Police funding cut
Ms Bath said community safety should not be compromised, but the Allan government is more interested in playing politics, than keeping people safe. "In the midst of a crime crisis, Labor has slashed $50 million in funding to Victoria Police."
"There are now over 1,100 police positions vacant, and 43 police stations across the state have either closed or reduced their hours since November 2023 due to chronic staffing shortages. Instead of investing in resourcing to process the enormous backlog of police applicants wanting to join the force, Labor is spending money on advertising."
"The Allan government must explain why it continues to under-resource and under-value our hardworking police officers and jeopardise community safety," she said. Labor can't manage money, can't manage crime - and Victorians are paying the price.
Pictures from Melina Bath MP Facebook page.
Source: http://gippsland.com/
Published by: news@gippsland.com
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