A former Victorian Premier says youths who use knives and machetes should go to a “prison farm” and that once they decide to use edged weapons, “they have no rights”.

Jeff Kennett, 77, led the Liberal-National Coalition Government in Victoria from 1992 to 1999.

He has been outspoken about the youth crime crisis gripping the state, including describing Victoria as “f***ed” in an interview in August.

Speaking on Sunday night, Mr Kennett slammed the current government’s soft-on-crime approach that has seen young offenders offered bail time and time again despite violent crimes.

“There is no leadership from the top,” he told Ten News Plus. “There is no respect for the top. And the young people think it’s all a game.”

Asked about magistrates and judges granting bail to young people who use knives and machetes because “locking up kids means that when they’re released they’ll only fall back into a life of crime”, Mr Kennett was emphatic.

“Rubbish. We’re past that stage now. We’ve got to think about the rights of the public. We’ve got to think about the rights of the law abiding 99 per cent of the community.

“It’s alright for us to sit here and say ‘What about a, b, c or d?’ But how does a family react when their son is macheted to death and you and I say ‘What about the rights of the offender?’

“They have no rights, they’ve lost their rights. I think getting out to a prison farm overseen by officers where they can physically work, take you out of the community, put you into a place where you’re working physically during the day, educated in the evening and you go and have a good night’s sleep.”

Former Victorian Chief Magistrate Nick Papas KC is among those who say locking up teens is a “failure of society”.

Speaking to news.com.au, Mr Papas conceded that there is a “core group of young offenders that we have to give up on and lock away”.

But taking a broad brush approach is going to do more harm than good, he said.

“Unfortunately, it pains me to say this, there are a group of offenders that we simply have to warehouse for the protection of society.

A former Victorian Premier says youths who use knives and machetes should go to a “prison farm” and that once they decide to use edged weapons, “they have no rights”.

Jeff Kennett, 77, led the Liberal-National Coalition Government in Victoria from 1992 to 1999.

He has been outspoken about the youth crime crisis gripping the state, including describing Victoria as “f***ed” in an interview in August.

Speaking on Sunday night, Mr Kennett slammed the current government’s soft-on-crime approach that has seen young offenders offered bail time and time again despite violent crimes.

“There is no leadership from the top,” he told Ten News Plus. “There is no respect for the top. And the young people think it’s all a game.”

Asked about magistrates and judges granting bail to young people who use knives and machetes because “locking up kids means that when they’re released they’ll only fall back into a life of crime”, Mr Kennett was emphatic.

“Rubbish. We’re past that stage now. We’ve got to think about the rights of the public. We’ve got to think about the rights of the law abiding 99 per cent of the community.

“It’s alright for us to sit here and say ‘What about a, b, c or d?’ But how does a family react when their son is macheted to death and you and I say ‘What about the rights of the offender?’

“They have no rights, they’ve lost their rights. I think getting out to a prison farm overseen by officers where they can physically work, take you out of the community, put you into a place where you’re working physically during the day, educated in the evening and you go and have a good night’s sleep.”

Former Victorian Chief Magistrate Nick Papas KC is among those who say locking up teens is a “failure of society”.

Speaking to news.com.au, Mr Papas conceded that there is a “core group of young offenders that we have to give up on and lock away”.

But taking a broad brush approach is going to do more harm than good, he said.

“Unfortunately, it pains me to say this, there are a group of offenders that we simply have to warehouse for the protection of society.

“If a kid has had six bails and uses machetes on six occasions to steal cars, sorry, time’s up. You can be warehoused, you can meet other criminals. If you need to grow up to learn these lessons, that’s what’s necessary to protect the rest of us. There is a core group where you just need to lock them up, I accept that.

“But let’s work out who we can save, let’s concede defeat with respect to the group of kids who can’t be saved. But that’s also an admission of complete defeat.

“If our education system and social welfare systems have failed by allowing kids to become like this, then that’s an admission of failure in society.”

The Secretary of the Police Association of Victoria, Wayne Gatt, also laid the blame on the Jacinta Allan-led Labor Government in Victoria.

“This hasn’t happened by accident,” he said of the current crime wave, one backed up by statistics as the worst in decades.

Cont'd...

Cont'd...

“This is intentional government policy that has reduced the court’s impact. The answer to this is what happens when we find (youths) with knives and we take them to court.

“Because you can have all the bans in the world. But if you get to the court door and nobody gets a custodial sentence, game over.”

Kelvin Glare, a former Victorian Chief Police Commissioner, told Ten News Plus that youth crime is “absolutely out of control, particularly youth crime”.

He said locking up young offenders and denying them bail is “not the answer” in the long term. But he acknowledged it is needed right now.

“It’s a short term necessity because of the way things are,” he said.

Mr Kennett’s comments came shortly after he lashed Victoria’s economy and the state of crime.

Speaking with Steve Price in August, he said he was not only “frustrated” but extremely “p***ed off”.

“I cannot tell you how frustrated and disappointed I am at where we find Victoria today. I mean, we have so many things going for us as a state and as a country, and yet we are financially going down the gurgle very quickly,” Mr Kennett said.

“We’ve now got this lack of focus on actually addressing this lawlessness, which has almost become a competition between some of our young today at great personal risk and price to people.

“So am I frustrated? Yes. Should I have used the F word? Probably not.”

https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/crime/rubbish-former-victorian-premier-unloads-on-locking-up-out-of-control-youths/news-story/b542d02801dd3c5849debda6b07be814

I wish we could kick out the incompetent Labor government we have in Victoria now. They have no clue.

NLP to take all the States to rule Domestic Australia.
ALP is being ruled by Overseas like dinkum China

The gates of Gon'Mo (Gondwanamo bay) yawn wide for those convicted of violence with weapons... the Homeland Aboriginal guards are not easygoing and won't take shot like the guards at Cessnock ... The Croc - up there the crocs get the escapees .... if the snakes don't... and traditional punishment hurts... enough of this lad-de-da White Man's garbage punishments...

Not nearly enough necks are kneeled on.

https://x.com/RadioGenoa/status/1985152194052608406

More soft sentencing in Victoria:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-03/teen-avoids-conviction-over-bendigo-marketplace-attack/105965024

A teenager has been given a good behaviour bond over a violent attack on a security guard in Bendigo in March.

The assault prompted a shopping centre lockdown and drew widespread community outrage.

What's next?
The teen, who was also sentenced for two additional fights in February, has avoided conviction and must continue counselling for 12 months.

Bobby what suburb of Melbourne is this

---

aquascoot wrote on Nov 3^rd, 2025 at 6:49pm:

Bobby what suburb of Melbourne is this

Dandenong.

One attack with a cutting or stabbing weapon is one attack too many, and if it’s murder, then termination [after a review by twelve persons selected at random] there should be no second attack possible under ten years, and if a second attack is perpetrated then there should be no chance of a third, two convictions and then termination.

Victoria has become the cess hole of the world.

The Melbourne cup is not any longer any thing to do with the rest of Australia.

Enjoy your  “own “ race.

I sincerely hope you don’t get attacked with a machete

There is something sinister going on with the migration from Africa.

John howard who I liked was a bit of a traditional Christian royalty loving guy.
But he imported 50,000 Africans during his second term
Why?


It wasn't his idea, for sure.

Do the elites at davos have a plan to destroy every functional society so that , when they usher in serfdom, you have to be a serf as every country is equally a shiiiithole and there is nowhere to go?

England under a conservative government has imported more Africans than at any time in history.
Why?


It's an island .


Europe and africa had equivalent populations in the year 2000.
By the year 2100, Africans will outnumber Europeans by 7 to 1.

Young people in Europe and the west are not having kids
The climate scam, the million dollar housing means no families.

But Africans are imported and have plenty.

Gates and Soros and Bill Clinton are always over in africa.

And the rwandan massacre was a massacre of the Christian rwandans.
Now we see a Nigerian massacre of Christian Nigerians.

Who is doing this.
It isn't happening by chance

Ward C of Shutter Island (Australia) - the psychiatric institution of Planet Earth - which in turn is the psychiatric hospital for the Universe.

For some reason we are having a Black Australia Policy forced on us... everybody rubbishes the past White Australia Policy - but nobody even seems to notice the Black Australia Policy - and somehow people think that hidden in it somewhere is some form of 'justice'.

We have to take back the asylum... simple as that.
We need to change our 'instant citizenship' rules and make citizenship a chore to obtain over ten years or so. 
We need to break the power of the central government.
We need to turn back the clock on everything 'woke'.
We need to stop mass immigration and revert to our former style of immigration.


**footnote**  great to see some others understanding the global push to neo-Feudalism - a form of Fascism with a self-appointed elite dictating to the rest - and beginning to see the need to start stopping it now.  As things stand - the only thing that will save the West from itself is a global conflict.... good luck with that.

Daves2017 wrote on Nov 3^rd, 2025 at 8:43pm:

Victoria has become the cess hole of the world. The Melbourne cup is not any longer any thing to do with the rest of Australia. Enjoy your  “own “ race. I sincerely hope you don’t get attacked with a machete

Remember that girl in the blue dress who pushed a cop into some bushes to "get on the news" at the Melbourne Cup in 2015? The article describes her as the "iconic" girl in the blue dress. Seriously? She assaulted a cop while drunk in public. She isn't iconic - she's an imbecile!

https://www.news.com.au/sport/superracing/harrowing-ordeal-what-happened-to-blue-dress-girl-after-wild-melbourne-cup-cop-clash/news-story/d7ab9bb604b18c2887f8cae67a889b1c

Armchair_Politician wrote on Nov 4^th, 2025 at 11:06am:

Daves2017 wrote on Nov 3rd, 2025 at 8:43pm: Victoria has become the cess hole of the world. The Melbourne cup is not any longer any thing to do with the rest of Australia. Enjoy your  “own “ race. I sincerely hope you don’t get attacked with a machete Remember that girl in the blue dress who pushed a cop into some bushes to "get on the news" at the Melbourne Cup in 2015? The article describes her as the "iconic" girl in the blue dress. Seriously? She assaulted a cop while drunk in public. She isn't iconic - she's an imbecile! https://www.news.com.au/sport/superracing/harrowing-ordeal-what-happened-to-blue-dress-girl-after-wild-melbourne-cup-cop-clash/news-story/d7ab9bb604b18c2887f8cae67a889b1c

Actually, they've changed the headline now and removed the word "iconic". Must've gotten a lot of backlash for that description.

Heard the other day that there is record migration into QLD from VIC lately.

I'm not surprised. People are looking to get out of this unsafe state.

Captain Nemo wrote on Nov 4^th, 2025 at 11:55am:

Heard the other day that there is record migration into QLD from VIC lately. I'm not surprised. People are looking to get out of this unsafe state.

The number of people migrating from NSW and Vic to Qld has been on the increase for decades now. Property prices and overcrowding are the main factors.

John Smith wrote on Nov 5^th, 2025 at 7:51am:

Captain Nemo wrote on Nov 4th, 2025 at 11:55am: Heard the other day that there is record migration into QLD from VIC lately. I'm not surprised. People are looking to get out of this unsafe state. The number of people migrating from NSW and Vic to Qld has been on the increase for decades now. Property prices and overcrowding are the main factors.

Sydney has, quite simply, become unaffordable when it comes to buying a home unless you are a couple with a substantial joint income because the median house price is between $1.5m-$1.7m. It's just ridiculous. Renting is just as bad, if not worse because there is enormous demand and very little supply, causing prices to skyrocket.

Sir Grappler Truth Teller OAM wrote on Nov 4^th, 2025 at 6:17am:

We need to break the power of the central government.

No, we need a central government which can create an economy which works for all.


Quote:

**footnote** ....  As things stand - the only thing that will save the West from itself is a global conflict.... good luck with that.

The US can't save itself.

Not a reliable ally capable of engendering confidence.....

No. We need a government that adheres to the Right, which Politics is a part of.
Not adhere to the Media of Music & Entertainment which is what the Left is.

Armchair_Politician wrote on Nov 3^rd, 2025 at 12:03pm:

I wish we could kick out the incompetent Labor government we have in Victoria now. They have no clue.

So agree 100%

Kennet is right, I’ve always liked him. He’s tough and makes sense.
Met him once way back when he was doing political rallies in different areas around where I live.

I’m sick of the pansy feather approach from our Vic labor leader.
We need Jeff to come back as premier of Vic!
Ageist? If it works for USA having elder aged presidents, then why not premier for us in Victoria?

Someone said recently on this forum or somewhere….these machetes swingers should be taken to the Queensland cane cutting fields!

Hell. Even people in other States admired Kennett of Victoria.
Victoria in the VFL era, was a great 'country' in itself.
Kennett was the last of that golden age

Sophia wrote on Nov 6^th, 2025 at 10:08am:

Armchair_Politician wrote on Nov 3rd, 2025 at 12:03pm: I wish we could kick out the incompetent Labor government we have in Victoria now. They have no clue. So agree 100% Kennet is right, I’ve always liked him. He’s tough and makes sense. Met him once way back when he was doing political rallies in different areas around where I live. I’m sick of the pansy feather approach from our Vic labor leader. We need Jeff to come back as premier of Vic! Ageist? If it works for USA having elder aged presidents, then why not premier for us in Victoria? Someone said recently on this forum or somewhere….these machetes swingers should be taken to the Queensland cane cutting fields!

It's not an exaggeration to say that the ALP are more concerned with the rights of violent youths than innocent people, and it is for that reason that these youths are running rampant in Melbourne. They know that there will be little to no consequences for their actions. They know that the ALP government doesn't have the intestinal fortitude to crack down on this crimewave.

Seriously, it isn't hard to bring it to an end. Just don't give bail to these youth offenders caught committing crimes with machetes and other weapons. Absolutely don't give bail to youth offenders caught committing crimes with machetes and other weapons while on bail! It's as simple as that. Lock them up so that they cannot harm innocent people. Stop and search these youths and arrest them if they even have a weapon in their possession. Lock them up until they realise there are consequences for their actions. Force them to attend Court instead of making it merely a suggestion. I can't believe I even had to type that sentence - the absurdity of it is astounding! Turn juvenile justice centres back into prisons, not holiday camps. Punish violence when it occurs in those centres instead of letting it pass.

These are not new ideas. It's just common sense - something the Allen government has little if any of.

If the answer is Jeff “ depressed “ Kennet the question isn’t relevant.

The whole reason Victoria is labor hardcore is because of his political career and failed neoliberal policies when he was in office.

His a washed up narcissist who was voted out because his constituents decided that they were better off without hearing his voice.

Just like Bob Carr.

Take a hint and stfu.

No one wants your 2c worth.

Get a job

Bob Carr. He pushed the Desalination Plant in and was rewarded by Macquarie Bank

I'm more interested in how he nails Jacinta Alien.

Youth criminals - deport 'em to South Australia and put 'em to work rectifying the mouth of the Murray with shovels...

Jacinta ALIEN indeed. Give the woman a shovel.

https://i.imgur.com/cpfaGEB.jpeg

Sydney Shanghai & Mogadishu Melbourne.
Both cities having succumbed to Leftism

Daves2017 wrote on Nov 6^th, 2025 at 3:48pm:

If the answer is Jeff “ depressed “ Kennet the question isn’t relevant. The whole reason Victoria is labor hardcore is because of his political career and failed neoliberal policies when he was in office. His a washed up narcissist who was voted out because his constituents decided that they were better off without hearing his voice. Just like Bob Carr. Take a hint and stfu. No one wants your 2c worth. Get a job

Hear! Hear!   Jeff Kennett is not the answer to anything.   His reign of power was just to sell everything off and look we we are now.   How quickly people forget what an absolute disaster his Government was to Victoria.    Can’t afford to run your heating this winter?   Ask Jeff why.

Armchair_Politician wrote on Nov 3^rd, 2025 at 12:01pm:

A former Victorian Premier says youths who use knives and machetes should go to a “prison farm” and that once they decide to use edged weapons, “they have no rights”. Jeff Kennett, 77, led the Liberal-National Coalition Government in Victoria from 1992 to 1999. He has been outspoken about the youth crime crisis gripping the state, including describing Victoria as “f***ed” in an interview in August. Speaking on Sunday night, Mr Kennett slammed the current government’s soft-on-crime approach that has seen young offenders offered bail time and time again despite violent crimes. “There is no leadership from the top,” he told Ten News Plus. “There is no respect for the top. And the young people think it’s all a game.” Asked about magistrates and judges granting bail to young people who use knives and machetes because “locking up kids means that when they’re released they’ll only fall back into a life of crime”, Mr Kennett was emphatic. “Rubbish. We’re past that stage now. We’ve got to think about the rights of the public. We’ve got to think about the rights of the law abiding 99 per cent of the community. “It’s alright for us to sit here and say ‘What about a, b, c or d?’ But how does a family react when their son is macheted to death and you and I say ‘What about the rights of the offender?’ “They have no rights, they’ve lost their rights. I think getting out to a prison farm overseen by officers where they can physically work, take you out of the community, put you into a place where you’re working physically during the day, educated in the evening and you go and have a good night’s sleep.” Former Victorian Chief Magistrate Nick Papas KC is among those who say locking up teens is a “failure of society”. Speaking to news.com.au, Mr Papas conceded that there is a “core group of young offenders that we have to give up on and lock away”. But taking a broad brush approach is going to do more harm than good, he said. “Unfortunately, it pains me to say this, there are a group of offenders that we simply have to warehouse for the protection of society. A former Victorian Premier says youths who use knives and machetes should go to a “prison farm” and that once they decide to use edged weapons, “they have no rights”. Jeff Kennett, 77, led the Liberal-National Coalition Government in Victoria from 1992 to 1999. He has been outspoken about the youth crime crisis gripping the state, including describing Victoria as “f***ed” in an interview in August. Speaking on Sunday night, Mr Kennett slammed the current government’s soft-on-crime approach that has seen young offenders offered bail time and time again despite violent crimes. “There is no leadership from the top,” he told Ten News Plus. “There is no respect for the top. And the young people think it’s all a game.” Asked about magistrates and judges granting bail to young people who use knives and machetes because “locking up kids means that when they’re released they’ll only fall back into a life of crime”, Mr Kennett was emphatic. “Rubbish. We’re past that stage now. We’ve got to think about the rights of the public. We’ve got to think about the rights of the law abiding 99 per cent of the community. “It’s alright for us to sit here and say ‘What about a, b, c or d?’ But how does a family react when their son is macheted to death and you and I say ‘What about the rights of the offender?’ “They have no rights, they’ve lost their rights. I think getting out to a prison farm overseen by officers where they can physically work, take you out of the community, put you into a place where you’re working physically during the day, educated in the evening and you go and have a good night’s sleep.” Former Victorian Chief Magistrate Nick Papas KC is among those who say locking up teens is a “failure of society”. Speaking to news.com.au, Mr Papas conceded that there is a “core group of young offenders that we have to give up on and lock away”. But taking a broad brush approach is going to do more harm than good, he said. “Unfortunately, it pains me to say this, there are a group of offenders that we simply have to warehouse for the protection of society. “If a kid has had six bails and uses machetes on six occasions to steal cars, sorry, time’s up. You can be warehoused, you can meet other criminals. If you need to grow up to learn these lessons, that’s what’s necessary to protect the rest of us. There is a core group where you just need to lock them up, I accept that. “But let’s work out who we can save, let’s concede defeat with respect to the group of kids who can’t be saved. But that’s also an admission of complete defeat. “If our education system and social welfare systems have failed by allowing kids to become like this, then that’s an admission of failure in society.” The Secretary of the Police Association of Victoria, Wayne Gatt, also laid the blame on the Jacinta Allan-led Labor Government in Victoria. “This hasn’t happened by accident,” he said of the current crime wave, one backed up by statistics as the worst in decades. Cont'd...

No... what is a failure of society is the prevalence and the extraordinary rates of juvenile/teen crime today.

As well as poor parenting it is also poor Govt policy around social issues and juvenile justice.

Labors policy to increase the age of criminal responsibility is another factor.

John Smith wrote on Nov 5^th, 2025 at 7:51am:

Captain Nemo wrote on Nov 4th, 2025 at 11:55am: Heard the other day that there is record migration into QLD from VIC lately. I'm not surprised. People are looking to get out of this unsafe state. The number of people migrating from NSW and Vic to Qld has been on the increase for decades now. Property prices and overcrowding are the main factors.

And as a result QLD property pricing is going through the roof & the overcrowding has shifted states.

The SE corner will become an unlivable shytehole next.

Gnads wrote on Nov 10^th, 2025 at 12:35pm:

John Smith wrote on Nov 5th, 2025 at 7:51am: Captain Nemo wrote on Nov 4th, 2025 at 11:55am: Heard the other day that there is record migration into QLD from VIC lately. I'm not surprised. People are looking to get out of this unsafe state. The number of people migrating from NSW and Vic to Qld has been on the increase for decades now. Property prices and overcrowding are the main factors. And as a result QLD property pricing is going through the roof & the overcrowding has shifted states. The SE corner will become an unlivable shytehole next.

Wow you can say that again!
I’m stunned by the recent price heights houses are getting!
Open house inspections have at least half dozen couples go through!
And… rent going to astronomical heights too!

Sophia wrote on Nov 6^th, 2025 at 10:08am:

Armchair_Politician wrote on Nov 3rd, 2025 at 12:03pm: I wish we could kick out the incompetent Labor government we have in Victoria now. They have no clue. So agree 100% Kennet is right, I’ve always liked him. He’s tough and makes sense. Met him once way back when he was doing political rallies in different areas around where I live. I’m sick of the pansy feather approach from our Vic labor leader. We need Jeff to come back as premier of Vic! Ageist? If it works for USA having elder aged presidents, then why not premier for us in Victoria? Someone said recently on this forum or somewhere….these machetes swingers should be taken to the Queensland cane cutting fields!

Thanks a bunch Sophia - more shyte exports out of Victoria :P

Besides we stopped using cane knives to cut cane in QLD in the early 1970s.

Machetes are no good for that job.... you need a specialised "cane knife".

There are several blade variations.

---

Gnads wrote on Nov 10^th, 2025 at 12:35pm:

John Smith wrote on Nov 5th, 2025 at 7:51am: Captain Nemo wrote on Nov 4th, 2025 at 11:55am: Heard the other day that there is record migration into QLD from VIC lately. I'm not surprised. People are looking to get out of this unsafe state. The number of people migrating from NSW and Vic to Qld has been on the increase for decades now. Property prices and overcrowding are the main factors. And as a result QLD property pricing is going through the roof & the overcrowding has shifted states. The SE corner will become an unlivable shytehole next.

One of the reasons I moved out

Armchair_Politician wrote on Nov 3^rd, 2025 at 12:01pm:

Jeff Kennett, 77, led the Liberal-National Coalition Government

Extreemely poorly.