Today, Premier Carroll has announced that his government will introduce ‘Jack’s Law’ in Victoria if Labor is re-elected. This will give police and Protective Service Officers powers to search anyone in a public place with metal detectors or ‘wands’, without needing a warrant or reasonable suspicion someone is carrying a weapon.
The Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service (VALS) strongly opposes this announcement as we know it will result in further criminalisation of our people and is another concerning indication that this government does not uphold its obligations under the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities. We have been down this path before, if the government does not recall, the 2012 government led review which found stop and search did not equate to a reduction in violent crime and instead highlighted issues with police accountability.[1] Just 9 months ago Victoria Police were forced to withdraw their extraordinary powers in Melbourne CBD following an unlawful 6-month declaration of a designated area. We have seen police and PSO search powers exercised and abused; there have been reports which show the harms caused far outweigh the perceived promise of community safety.
Why is this state ignoring its own reviews on failed policing approaches? Why does it continue to fail to implement evidence-based reforms and initiatives that will address the underlying causes of crime and enhance community safety for all Victorians?
Jack’s law was first introduced in Queensland in 2021, with other jurisdictions adopting similar laws in New South Wales, Tasmania, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. In Queensland during the two-year trial which has now been made permanent, police conducted 116,287 scans and removed 1,126 weapons. This reflects a detection rate of 0.9%. It is a costly investment with no evidence that this has resulted in a reduction in knife related violence in the state.[2]
Aboriginal people are disproportionately targeted and searched when police are given these powers. Data released by the Centre Against Racial Profiling showed that in designated areas in Victoria during 2024, Aboriginal people were 15 times more likely to be searched by police than non-Indigenous people. It has also been reported that police only found illicit items in just 1% of searches conducted without reasonable grounds in designated areas.[3] This speaks to racial bias and discrimination that we know exists within our systems. Yoorrook for Justice found that systemic racism is a deeply entrenched issue for Victoria Police, these extraordinary search powers will only compound the issue. VALS has been and will continue to provide support and legal assistance to any of our community who are targeted.
All Victorians deserve to be safe, but this announcement will only cause further harm, lead to greater instances of racial profiling and up charging for minor offences, fundamentally failing to achieve the community safety we are all striving for. If re-elected, this government needs to commit to investing in evidence-based reforms that address the underlying causes of offending behaviour rather than replicating ill-informed legislation from other jurisdictions to look tough on crime.
Copycat policy does not lead to community safety, just criminalisation of vulnerable people.
Quotes Attributable to Nerita Waight, CEO of the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service:
“If this is what ‘good policy’ looks like to the Premier, then I implore him and his advisors to do the hard work of innovation rather than a Google search. Importing models that lack evidence, that will cause harm and further criminalisation and won’t achieve a reduction in violent crime, all whilst limiting our human rights is ludicrous. Earlier this year the government’s designated areas were found to be unlawful in a High Court ruling; this legislation will be yet another example of the Labor government introducing laws as a work around to the courts’ rulings. Again, at the expense of actual community safety for all Victorians.
This election promise will result in another costly failed initiative to achieve community safety. This is not informed policy making, this is copycat social policy making for votes. If this is what a government with integrity looks like, I suggest Premier Carroll go back to the drawing board before it’s too late.”
[1] Police Integrity Unit, ‘Review of Victoria Police use of ‘stop and search’ powers’ 2012 https://www8.austlii.edu.au/au/other/vic/VicOPIRp/2012/1.pdf
[2]The Conversation ‘The Jack’s Law expansion is a symbolic step it’s not a solution to knife crime’, 12.6.2025 https://theconversation.com/the-jacks-law-expansion-is-a-symbolic-step-its-not-a-solution-to-knife-crime-258804
[3] Human Rights Law Centre, ‘Allan Government hands police excessive stop and search powers’, 12.3.2025