There’s no question Victoria has a crime problem, but the federal Coalition parachuting in with talking points and a scare campaign is not the answer
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On Wednesday morning, Sussan Ley flew into Melbourne on a mission: to sound the alarm on the city’s “out of control” crime crisis, flanked by two fellow non-Victorian members of her shadow cabinet – Queensland’s Andrew Wallace and New South Wales’ Julian Leeser.
In an op-ed for the Herald Sun, the federal opposition leader painted a grim picture of Melbourne, comparing it to the 1920s – a time, she wrote, the city was “overrun by crime and political violence”.
Sara: “So apart from calling it out, do you have a policy on youth crime right now?”
Wallace: “We’re not the government in Victoria. The government of Victoria has the predominant responsibility of passing criminal laws”
Sara: “Just to be clear, apart from calling out this issue, this is a state issue and you don’t have a policy on youth crime?.”
Wallace: “We are developing our policies at a federal level.”