Victoria is sleeping on police shortage solutions
While Rachel agreed upon the temporary measure to support Victoria Police at a time of police shortage, she reiterated several long-term solutions that would free up police time and resources.
Cautions not cuffs: Personal use possession
Rachel presented a motion on police cautions for cannabis possession. In 2024, Victoria Police updated their operations manual to prioritise cautions over arrests, for individuals possessing small quantities of cannabis for personal adult use.
Cautions Not Cuffs: Time to Make Existing Police Policy the Law
Cannabis has been prohibited in Australia for almost a century. It is a failed policy. Australians continue to consume cannabis and they always will. In 2024 Victoria police acknowledged this, updating the Victorian Police Operational Manual to make cautioning the default option for minor, personal possession. It was the right call. But the arrests keep coming. Today, LCV is calling for what should have already happened: make cautioning the law.
Crimes Amendment Bill 2026 enhances police powers to prosecute protestors
Rachel spoke on the Crimes Amendment Bill 2026, expressing why the bill will not be supported by Legalise Cannabis Victoria.
The amendment will make it easier for police to commence adult prosecutions for serious vilification offences, as police would no longer need consent from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). This raises serious concerns around protest, as the government have been unable to answer as to which behaviours they are seeking to prosecute more readily.
Support for inquiry into IBAC funding
Rachel intended to speak in support of a motion to require a committee inquiry into funding for the Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission (IBAC), the Ombudsman and Integrity Oversight Victoria.
‘No excuse’ to ignore preventable gendered violence
Rachel presented a member’s statement, reflecting on the 16 days of activism against family and intimate partner violence. She spoke about the tragic murder of Hannah Clarke and her three children by their respective partner and father, with police ignoring multiple reports of violence and abuse until it was too late. Rachel calls on the government to direct their ‘tough on crime’ approach to address the systemic failures that lead to these tragic but preventable consequences.
Liberal’s ‘Safer Protest’ bill could prevent peaceful protest
Rachel Payne addressed the Liberal’s ‘Safer Protest’ bill, and spoke on the Safer Protest with a Registration System and a Ban on Face Coverings Bill 2025. Rachel asserted that this bill provides no guidance on addressing the risks of violent protests by hate-groups, instead offering greater move-on powers to police: “This bill does not provide guidance on how we might respond to groups like the fascists, merely on the means to stop any protest.”
Millions wasted on cannabis arrests while state debt rises
Rachel questioned Victorian Treasurer Jaclyn Symes on the cost of continued cannabis criminalisation. Rachel noted that enforcing criminalisation costs Australia $4.66 million per day, while failing to legalise facilitates a booming black-market trade.
Cannabis decriminalisation frees up police resources
Rachel called on the Minister for Police to decriminalise cannabis. Violent crimes have taken precedence in allocation of police resources. However, cannabis arrests are still occurring, with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people statistically overrepresented. Decriminalisation would ensure that police resources can be prioritised where they are most needed.
Police responses to family and domestic violence
Rachel questioned the Minister for Prevention of Family Violence about police responses to family and domestic violence incidents. Highlighting issues of police misconduct, police-perpetrated family violence, and self-investigation, Rachel asked if the Minister will push for increased funding for community-led responses and an end to police self-investigation.