Media Releases

Member for Shepparton Jeanette Powell is encouraging residents who don’t want unsolicited salespeople knocking on their doors to collect a ‘Do Not Knock’ sticker from her Shepparton office.

Mrs Powell has received the stickers from the Consumer Action Law Centre and said they would be helpful to many residents, particularly the elderly and those who felt vulnerable.

“The ‘Do Not Knock’ initiative works the same way as the ‘Do Not Phone’ register in that it clearly lets a salesperson know they are not welcome and their service or offer not required,” Mrs Powell said.

“There are many people in the Shepparton district who do not appreciate or understand why sales people come to their house. I know this because my office receives many phone calls about this very complaint.

“Often salespeople will knock on doors after hours and can make people feel very vulnerable and confused about what is being offered to them.

“Also, there are those who just do not appreciate being interrupted while relaxing in their own home to be offered something they have not sought out and have no interest in.

“These stickers are aimed squarely at unwanted salespeople, but not religious organisations, charities and political candidates,” Mrs Powell said.

Stickers are available for collection from Mrs Powell’s office, 5 Vaughan St, Shepparton, between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday.

For more information about the Consumer Action Law Centre’s initiative, go to www.donotknock.org.au.

Member for Shepparton, Jeanette Powell today welcomed the allocation of 5 extra police to the Greater Shepparton Police District as part of the Coalition Government’s promise to recruit extra frontline police.
Acting Premier and Minister for Police and Emergency Services Peter Ryan today announced Victoria Police would allocate 125 more police in Melbourne and regional and rural Victoria by the end of December 2011.
Mrs Powell said the Coalition Government is committed to improving community safety throughout Victoria and had made the Shepparton District a priority for increased police numbers.
“This is a substantial and important investment in additional frontline policing to help fight crime in the Shepparton District,” Mrs Powell said.
“The additional police on the beat will help reduce anti-social behavior, make our streets safer and our community feel more secure in their homes.
“The Shepparton District is fortunate to have a dedicated and community minded police force which does an excellent job under very difficult circumstances.
“The Coalition is determined to make the Shepparton District a safer place by ensuring Victoria Police is properly resourced to tackle crimes against the person and property crime.
“These new officers will provide an extra visual presence reminding those who lack respect for the law that anti-social behavior, crime and violence will not be tolerated.
“This announcement is part of an integrated plan to control the culture of violence and growing levels of crime in Victoria.

“For years I lobbied the previous Labor Government to increase police numbers in Shepparton but had no success.

“The Liberals and Nationals are listening to Victorian communities and are delivering the police required to make sure families can feel safe on the streets, on public transport and in their own homes,” Mrs Powell said.

Mr Ryan said Victoria Police had already allocated 600 additional police across Victoria since November 2010, with 450 of those part of the Coalition Government’s commitment to deploy 1,700 officers above normal attrition to make Victoria safer.

“Our police work extremely hard keeping their communities safe and these additional officers will boost their efforts in targeting local crime issues and making our roads safer,” Mr Ryan said.

“The Coalition Government is also resourcing Victoria Police to recruit 940 Protective Services Officers by November 2014 to boost safety at train stations across Melbourne and major regional centres.”

An online survey regarding sentencing laws in Victoria is now open and all Victorians are invited to have their say, Member for Shepparton Jeanette Powell said today.

Mrs Powell is encouraging Shepparton residents to complete the online survey to make their views on sentencing known.

“The survey will provide respondents an opportunity to comment on penalties for a range of crimes, from criminal damage to murder and rape, and give their views on different kinds of sentencing, such as imprisonment and community-based orders,” Mrs Powell said.

Mrs Powell has spoken out very strongly on the issue of sentencing following the tragic deaths of Toolamba sisters Colleen and Laura Irwin, who were murdered in their Melbourne flat in 2006.

She lobbied the previous government for minimum jail sentences for habitual violent criminals who commit violent sexual crimes, violent crimes against children, or violent crimes against vulnerable elderly people.

Since winning the election last year, the Coalition Government has committed to baseline minimum sentences for serious crimes.

The Coalition also promised it would seek the views of the community, as well as experts, in regards to sentencing in Victoria and a key component of the survey will seek views on what the levels should be for the new minimum sentences.

“This government has committed to baseline minimum sentences which the previous Labor Government did not support, and with this survey, we are delivering on a commitment to offer all Victorians an opportunity to participate in this online survey,’ Mrs Powell said.

The on-line survey will run until August 26. The results of the survey will be complied and published when completed.

The survey can be downloaded at myviews.justice.vic.gov.au and takes between 5 and 15 minutes to complete.

Eleven new police officers will be allocated to the Shepparton district, as part of the Victorian Coalition Government’s commitment to make Victoria safer, State Member for Shepparton Jeanette Powell announced today.

Shepparton was included in the 46 Police Service areas across the state identified by Victoria Police as needing additional resources to tackle violent crime and anti-social behaviour.

“The additional police officers are an important component of the Coalition’s crackdown on criminal and anti-social behaviour,” says Mrs Powell.

“I lobbied the former Labor Government for years to provide extra police numbers in the Shepparton district but they repeatedly refused to deliver greater police protection.

“This announcement is yet another demonstration of the Coalition’s commitment to the district of Shepparton.

“Shepparton Police has stated two of the 11 new officers will go to Mooroopna and two will go to the Shepparton CIU which will be a massive boost to these services.”

The extra officers in Shepparton are part of a statewide commitment to policing in Victoria, with the Coalition Government set to deliver 1700 more police during its first term in government.

Victoria Police uses a demand-based model to best decide were to allocate police officers based on factors such as population, crime to population ratio and the level of road accidents to population ratio.

“This allocation model is part of Victoria Police’s Building Operations Capacity and Capability Project, which will be reviewed and tested every year to make sure resources are being allocated effectively,” Mrs Powell said.

A Victorian Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will reform sentencing laws to set standard minimum sentences for serious crimes, Member for Shepparton, Jeanette Powell said today.
Mrs Powell said at present sentencing laws give no direct guidance at all about what the minimum sentence should be.

“As a result, the minimum sentences given by the courts are usually only a small fraction of the maximum set by Parliament,” Mrs Powell said.
“I have been lobbying for minimum sentencing since 2006, following the tragic murders of sisters Laura and Colleen Irwin of Toolamba.
“Victorians are sick and tired of seeing offenders receive hopelessly inadequate sentences time and time again.
“I presented a petition to the Victorian Parliament with almost 12,100 signatures requesting ‘the Victorian Government takes action to ensure the community of Victoria is adequately protected from habitual violent criminals who commit violent sexual crimes, violent crimes against children, or violent crimes against vulnerable elderly people and calls on the Victorian Government to impose minimum jail sentences for these habitual violent criminals’’.
Mrs Powell said the community wanted to send a strong message to the Government that it was unhappy with the lenient sentences that some judges were handing down to violent criminals.
“Labor’s soft on crime approach has allowed this problem to get to the point where Victorians no longer have confidence in the sentencing regime in this state,” Mrs Powell said.

“For example, the average minimum sentence given to drug king-pins is less than four and a half years and the median sentence for murder is only 15 years.”

The Coalition believes that the starting point for an offender who has trafficked in a large commercial quantity of drugs should be 10 years behind bars, and the starting point for murder should be 20 years behind bars.

Baseline minimum sentences will apply for serious offences as defined in the Sentencing Act 1991, which include murder, manslaughter, intentionally causing serious injury, armed robbery and serious sexual offences, and for additional offences such as arson, recklessly causing serious injury, aggravated burglary and major drug trafficking.

Baseline sentences for the full range of offences to be covered will be set after obtaining the advice of the Sentencing Advisory Council and other experts, and the views of the community.
“These changes will further strengthen Victoria’s legal system alongside other reforms previously announced by the Coalition, such as abolishing suspended sentences for all offences, abolishing home detention, reforming bail laws and double-jeopardy laws and allowing the Supreme Court to outlaw criminal bikie gangs and other gangs,” Mrs Powell said.