NORTH-EAST: ‘Ash should be alive today’
State Opposition Leader Brad Battin has asked questions about what Premier Jacinta Allan’s Government has done since the murder of localdoctor Ash Gordon in a home invasion at Doncaster.’
“We have all heard about Ash Gordon. We all know the story, and he should be alive today,” Mr Battin said.
“Instead his family is grieving and Victoria is questioning why someone on bail was given the opportunity to go and take Ash’s life.
“His family has spoken out about demanding action in the justice system.
“Natalie Gordon, the sister of Dr Gordon, said the legal system was a joke.
‘It’s just the same thing time and time again,’ she said.
“On A Current Affair seven months ago she also said: ‘Unfortunately they are reoffending more times than not, so why do we keep letting them back out into society? … the government should change laws to make it harder to grant bail and easier to keep them in’.
“I truly believe we need to bring in harsher penalties for lesser crimes so we’re stopping them from getting to this point in their lives,” Ms Gordon said.
Mr Battin continued: “Speaker, we know on this side of the house. We tried to introduce tougher bail laws. We wanted to revert to them because people like Ash Gordon should be still with their family.
“People like Natalie Gordon should not have to be fighting against a government just to get justice. Now she is trying to make sure that the next generation do not go through the same thing and see people getting on bail and more people dying on our streets.
“So the questions we must ask on behalf of Natalie and her family and friends are: why didn’t Premier Allan act when Ash was killed? “How many people need to die at the hands of a violent offender before we see tougher bail laws to protect all Victorians?
“Why did the Premier only announce a review by those who supported the weakened bail laws rather than just fix the problem?
“And did the Premier only react to recent polls that put her job at risk, highlighting the character of the Premier and showing that she has more interest in her job than in delivering safer communities?” Mr Battin asked.