Victoria Liberals propose creating a separate criminal court of appeal
The Liberals in the Australian state of Victoria have proposed, if elected, to split the current Court of Appeal into two separate jurisdictions — criminal and civil. The Guardian reports.
A separate criminal jurisdiction
Opposition leader Jess Wilson is expected to announce a plan to establish a criminal court of appeal and appoint additional judges to it who specialize in criminal cases. Civil appeals, under the proposal, would be heard by a separate court.
The Coalition said the new criminal court of appeal would have broad oversight of Victoria's courts. It said the court's decisions would shape case law and influence court decisions across the state.
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Purpose of the reform
According to Wilson, the reform is intended to ensure that sentences for serious crimes meet community expectations. The Liberals also said the new jurisdiction should facilitate the application of new bail and sentencing laws that the Coalition plans to pass before Christmas if elected.
The opposition believes that decisions of the criminal court of appeal could lead to tougher sentences being imposed by courts throughout Victoria.
