There needs to be a more considered approach. Liberty Victoria advocates for more targeted interventions that aim to minimise harms while preserving social media’s benefits for children under the age of 16. A blanket ban will be ineffective and indeed will make matters worse – and expose children to more harm – as the use of social media by children is pushed underground.

This Bill should be withdrawn without delay.

Politicised attacks on people based on their visa status must end. The harms inflicted are severe, generational, and go to the heart of Australian culture and community.

We must all be equal before the law. Refugees and migrants are members of the community like any other, and should be permitted to live in dignity, security and peace – not in a parallel, ever-shifting universe where they are relentlessly vilified, punished, and discarded.

Committal hearings have long served as a critically important part of the protections afforded in Victoria to persons accused of serious crimes. The current system holds significant value in ensuring adequate disclosure, promoting the early resolution of cases, minimising the impact on vulnerable witnesses and ultimately easing pressure on the criminal justice system.