Hundreds of people gathered outside Victorian Parliament House on March 18 to oppose聽Victorian Labor鈥檚 introduction of the .
The rally was called by the Human Rights Law Centre (HRLC), , Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service and Centre Against Racial Profiling.
They are because of their dangerous and discriminatory nature and their potential to harm First Nations people and young people.
argues the Jacinta Allan government鈥檚 proposal poses an unacceptable risk to human safety and criminalises the most vulnerable while abandoning public investment in care.
Protesters demanded the implementation of as an alternative to the Allan government鈥檚 proposal.
Poccum鈥檚 Law is supported by more than 56 organisations in the legal, human rights and health sectors and includes the removal of the presumption against bail, and that remand is only used as a last resort.
It was developed by the family of Veronica Nelson, a Gunditjmara, Dja Dja, Wurrung, Wiradjuri and Yorta Yorta woman who died in custody in 2020 after being refused bail.
Speakers at the protest included community lawyers, an Australian Services Union member, Victorian Greens MPs and justice campaigners.
Nina, from Formerly Incarcerated Girls Justice Advocates Melbourne Collective, said 鈥渢hese laws won鈥檛 make people safer, they will further criminalise the most marginalised 麻豆传媒 of the population鈥.
Sarah Schwartz, from HRLC and part of the coronial inquest into the passing of Nelson, said the proposed new bail laws are 鈥渞acist鈥 and demonstrate that 鈥渢he Allan government doesn鈥檛 care about the safety of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children鈥.
State Greens MP Katherine Copsey said the 鈥淰ictorian Greens fully back the implementation of Poccum鈥檚 Law鈥.
A young Koori person told the rally that 鈥渂ail saves lives鈥. 鈥淚f it weren鈥檛 for Koori court I wouldn鈥檛 be alive to tell you about it today.鈥
Sophie Ellis, from Australian Lawyers for Human Rights, said 鈥淛ail harms children and our collective society.鈥
Britney Yaguirre, from the , spoke against the Allan government鈥檚 expansion of police powers, which gives Victoria Police the power to stop and search individuals for perceived offences.
The Victorian government鈥檚 Tough Bail Bill passed in the lower house during the rally. Three Greens State MPs voted against the bill.
Allan said key parts of the legislation would be 鈥溾 and start immediately. Labor is confident the bill will pass the upper house by the end of the week.
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