AFL mega-WAG Bec Judd has scolded former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews who she says could’ve saved lives if he fixed Melbourne’s crime scourge while in power.
Judd called Andrews ‘the Dictator’ in a social media post to her 750,000-plus Instagram followers after current premier Jacinta Allan announced on Wednesday the government would implement harsher bail laws.
The mother-of-four, who is married to former Carlton and West Coast superstar Chris Judd, has been a flag-bearer for fighting Victoria’s spiralling crime crisis and weak bail laws for several years.
‘Gee, this aged well,’ Judd posted on Instagram with an accompanying image of a 2022 story in which she warned Melbourne has a crime crisis.
‘Imagine the lives that could’ve been saved. Imagine the terror experienced by so many Victorians that could’ve been stopped if the Dictator had acted when I called this out.
‘Today Jacinta Allan has announced the toughest bail laws in the country. Yes it is too late for so many but it is a start. And mark my words, if the government stuffs this up again, I will continue to let everyone know about it.
‘I am a mum and proud Victorian who just wants my beloved Melbourne to go back to being the best city in the world where everybody feels safe to live their lives peacefully.’
Judd, a successful businesswoman, TV presenter and top tier social media influencer, also proclaimed ‘power to the people’.
AFL wag Bec Judd has taken a scathing swipe at former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews who she says did nothing to curb Melbourne’s crime crisis
Judd’s Instagram post with an accompanying image of a 2022 story in which she warned Melbourne has a crime crisis
Judd has long advocated for stronger bail laws and harsher penalties in Victoria
Her Instagram post was in response to harsh new bail laws which will see children and adults suspected of serious crimes including home invasion and carjackings kept behind bars.
Premier Allan announced a raft of changes after it became apparent crime was rampant in the city especially amongst youth offenders who are repeatedly set free from remand almost immediately after being charged with a serious crime.
Judd, who lives in Brighton in Melbourne’s bayside suburbs, last week posted fresh cries for help after two suspects allegedly armed with machetes were recorded entering properties at Black Rock and Kew.
‘The size of the machete. 5am this morning. @jacintaallanmp Victorians are DESPERATE for you to do something about this,’ Judd wrote.
In a second post Judd raised the incident at Kew in Melbourne’s east.
‘And this one also this morning in Kew,’ Judd wrote.
‘Victoria is under attack and our leaders are doing nothing.’
As part of the sweeping reforms, machetes will be banned, committing an indictable offence on bail will again be classified a crime and ‘community safety’ will be made a ‘priority’.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews addresses the media during a press conference in Melbourne, 2021
Judd, who lives in Brighton in Melbourne’s bayside suburbs, last week posted fresh cries for help after two suspects allegedly armed with machetes were recorded entering properties at Black Rock and Kew
‘Our tough bail laws will jolt the system, putting community safety above all, creating the toughest bail laws ever, and ensuring bail rules are respected,’ Ms Allan said.
‘Respect for the rules, which is why the consequences for breaking the rules whilst on bail is a key plank in the reforms that we are introducing here today,’ Ms Allan said.
‘There will be consequences if you offend whilst on bail. These laws are targeted squarely at this repeat offending.
‘They’re also tough new bail laws that have its primary focus on keeping Victorians safe.
‘It is absolutely clear to me and the Victorian community the current laws are not just not meeting community expectation, they are not dealing with this repeat pattern of offending we are seeing across our community.’
The premier had earlier detailed the reforms while speaking on The Fox’s Fifi, Fev and Nick on morning show on Wednesday.
‘We are putting community safety first and foremost,’ Ms Allan told The Fox.
‘We are reversing the change where remand or bail was seen as a last resort for youth offending.
‘We’re bringing in tougher tests … aggravated home invasions and car jackings – the tests haven’t been tough enough.’
Victoria’s youth crime epidemic hit 23,810 incidents in 2023-2024 – the highest it has been since 2009 and a jump of almost 17 percent on the previous 12 months.
And many of the home invasions, aggravated burglaries, car thefts, assaults, brawls and knife attacks which happen daily occur in Melbourne.
Premier Jacinta Allan announced on Wednesday the government would implement harsher bail laws
A terrifying image of a residential home-invader was reposted by Judd
Among recent incidents were five teens including a 13-year-old boy who were arrested and charged after an alleged carjacking and multiple burglaries in Melbourne’s east on February 11.
Police spotted a Range Rover Discovery which had allegedly been stolen from Elwood three days earlier.
The teens allegedly stole cigarettes from a service station and then ditched the Range Rover about 11.15pm before carjacking a Ford Focus after using a knife to threaten the driver.
The boys were all charged with aggravated carjacking, aggravated burglary, theft and aggravated burglary.
Forensic psychologist Tim Watson-Munro told the Daily Mail Australia last week he wanted tougher bail laws in Victoria which are currently ‘just a joke’.
‘Zooming down the Monash doing 150km/h and they’re arrested, bailed and back before court the next day for the same offending,’ Dr Watson-Munro said.
‘Police arrest them and the offenders laugh at them, they say ‘we’ll be back out tomorrow’; it’s an arrogance, it’s lack of respect.
‘People are very worried about aggravated burglaries, parents worry about their own children out at all hours where they can get bashed and stabbed, these crimes even happen in broad daylight.’
Youths allegedly rob a Melbourne service station
The rampant crime in Melbourne, once regarded as Australia’s most liveable city, has taken over news broadcasts are now filled with reports of carjackings, fire bombings and random knife attacks.
But in a sad twist, these horror stories are buried deep within the nightly news broadcasts – a side piece in a city that has become accustomed to rampant, mindless violence.
In the background, angry Melburnians hit social media to vent about the state’s crime wave.
They talk about it at the pub and with mates over a barbeque in what they hope is the safety of their own homes.
Fitzroy North local Robert Morton summed it up best.
‘Victoria may be the education state but you can’t out smart a knife, or a bullet,’ he said.
