SEEING images of innocent victims targeted in terror attacks from around the globe has become increasingly prominent, yet no matter how many times this happens it is always hard to take in those images.
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The terror-inspired hostage siege in Brighton has revealed how vulnerable we are in Victoria.
The man behind the Brighton siege Yacqub Khayre had an extensive criminal history; he had undertaken explosive training with foreign fighters, committed 16 burglaries, 15 thefts, arson attacks, assault, threatened people with knives in their homes, and had attempted murder and firearms offences.
Yacqub Khayre was in and out of jail all his life and was still granted parole. The warning signs were there, yet he was set free. The system is broken; if he was kept behind bars, we could have avoided this whole mess.
How many other Victorians have been granted parole despite having terror links? When asked that question in parliament recently the Andrews Government was not able to provide any answers.
Anybody with terrorist links should not be granted parole, our police and agencies are working overtime to protect us, and we are throwing all that hard work away when we release these hate filled violent extremists back onto our streets.
In 2015 Daniel Andrews publicly called on Victorians to accept that violent extremism was part of contemporary Australia. It is disgraceful for our premier to be conceding defeat so meekly; these latest incidents show that Daniel Andrews has lost control of our state.
Crime in the Northern Grampians Shire is up 43 per cent since the election of the Andrews Government in 2014, while in Ararat, it increased 28 per cent.
Ararat is now in the top five Local Government Areas for crime rates with an 11.6 per cent increase in offence rates over the last quarter. St Arnaud is the sixth highest postcode in the state for crime rises since the Andrews Government was elected with crime rising 97 per cent.
We need to boost our police resources, strengthen our parole and bail laws and legislate tougher sentencing. A Matthew Guy Government is committed to doing all this, with robust and positive policies already released on sentencing, bail, and parole.
Louise Staley is the Liberal state Member for Ripon