Major changes to Victorian homicide laws proposed
The Victorian Department of Justice has overnight released the Defensive Homicide Proposals for Legislative Reform: Consultation Paper. The paper is a welcomed step forward in their review of the controversial offence of defensive homicide which has attracted much attention due to the unintended consequences of its operation since its introduction in November 2005.
Deakin Criminologist, Dr Kate Fitz-Gibbon, is heavily cited in the Department’s Consultation Paper and strongly supports the proposals for reforms. She has published an opinion piece in The Age today explaining why abolishing defensive homicide is a positive step forward for the Victorian law of homicide. Read Kate’s article here.
The Herald Sun were given an exclusive on the Paper which appeared on the front page this morning. The article by Shannon Deery quotes Kate’s support of the Department’s recommendation to abolish the offence of defensive homicide. Read the full article here.
Earlier this year Kate published a piece on The Conversation calling for the government’s abolition of defensive homicide. The reforms proposed directly address the concerns she expressed in this piece. Read the article on The Conversation here.