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Labor Signs up to 'Jack's Law' in Election About-Face
Carroll says 1,200 handheld wands will be added as Labor backs random knife searches without warrants or suspicion if it wins re-election.
- On Wednesday, Victorian Premier Ben Carroll pledged to implement "Jack's Law" if Labor wins the November election, granting police sweeping powers to use handheld metal-detecting wands to search anyone in public for knives.
- Queensland introduced this legislation following the 2019 fatal stabbing of teenager Jack Beasley on the Gold Coast. Victoria previously relied on "designated area" orders for random searches, but the Federal Court ruled these invalid earlier this year for breaching human rights.
- Carroll also announced $23 million in Tuesday grants for youth crime prevention programs, including sports and homework clubs. The new police powers, which the opposition also supports, include 1,200 extra metal-detecting wands for public use.
- Criminologist Dr. Joel McGregor warned the policy may fail to address underlying violence drivers. Data from Liberty Victoria shows just over 1 per cent of random searches in designated areas previously yielded prohibited items.
- Critics, including the Centre Against Racial Profiling, argue such laws often lead to disproportionate targeting of First Nations and African people. Police maintain zero tolerance for racial profiling as implementation approaches next year.
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12 Articles
12 Articles
‘My priority is community safety’: Carroll to commit to Jack’s Law, letting police search for knives
Police will be given sweeping new powers to search for knives in public places under a re-elected Labor government, with handheld metal detector wands to be used anywhere across the state.
·Southbank, Australia
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Sydney Morning Herald+3 Reposted by 3 other sources
Carroll pledges random search powers for police to crack down on knife crime
The premier will go to November’s state election promising to introduce “Jack’s Law” – new search powers for police that have already been backed by the Coalition.
·North Sydney, Australia
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources12
Leaning Left6Leaning Right2Center0Last UpdatedBias Distribution75% Left
Bias Distribution
- 75% of the sources lean Left
75% Left
L 75%
R 25%
Factuality
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