Victims say their security and peace of mind have been shaken after Parliament refused to review self-defence laws, despite rising crime in Casey and Cardinia.
Libertarian MP David Limbrick, who put the proposal forward, is disappointed at the outcome on 18 August.
“We had overwhelming support from the community for this proposal to empower people to protect themselves,” Limbrick said.
“In fact it feels like the only people in Victoria to oppose it were the 18 MPs from the Government, the Greens and Animal Justice Party who voted against it.”
State Opposition Leader and Berwick MP Brad Battin said the rise in crime was driving the discussion on self-defence laws.
“With a crime every 50 seconds happening across the state and home invasions every hour, it’s no wonder people are genuinely concerned,” Battin said.
According to the Crime Statistics Agency (CSA), houses remain the most common target, with
2,210 criminal incidents recorded in Cardinia and 7,856 in Casey, for the year ending March 2025, both up from the previous year.
Retail stores also saw high levels of crime, with 1,388 incidents in Casey and 428 in Cardinia.
Business owners say the impact has been severe. Harry Hutchinson endured nine break-ins in just 12 months, spending six months sleeping in his store to guard it. He lost weight from stress and suffered $4,000–$5,000 in stock losses, on top of additional costs to repair property damage.
“The government didn’t put themselves in our shoes, otherwise they would have passed the bill,” Hutchinson said.
“There’s going to be a number of people who are going to be seriously injured because they’ve got nothing to fight back with. You should have a right to protect your property and yourself.
“Businesses are being forced to put shutters up and it already looks like something out of a war zone.”
Residents are also feeling the strain. Andrew, whose newly built home in Officer’s Carrington Estate was broken into six times during construction, said the repeated incidents forced him to move in early to safeguard the property.
“They’ve caused a lot of damage and we ended up sleeping at the house in our sleeping bags in case they decided to come back,” Andrew said.
“It’s costing us time, money, and making us incredibly unsafe. Day to day, we’re constantly checking that the house is locked in all entry points, and if we go away for a weekend, we need someone to house sit.”
A common complaint is that the current self-defence laws leave victims vulnerable.
“If someone breaks into your home, you have to deal with the situation and also consider if you’re going to be arrested,” Andrew said.
“This should not be the case, as if an intruder breaks into your home, you should be able to protect yourself with whatever means necessary to stop the situation.
“If stronger laws are brought forward, it will allow us to protect our homes, and also the intruders will reconsider breaking in knowing they could be hurt and/or killed.”
A Pakenham mother said families truly want the law to protect them, but trauma and a failing justice system have left them feeling they must take matters into their own hands.
“After our home was broken into a few years ago, via my son’s bedroom window, he (11 at the time) slept with a cricket bat for weeks,” she recalled.
“I think people would feel great comfort in the knowledge that they can protect themselves, their family, and their major investments (cars/homes), and be more inclined to fight back.”
Safety concerns extend beyond homes. Pakenham resident Carole Maybus highlighted the risks on school grounds after her grandson’s bike was stolen for the third time at Pakenham Secondary College.
“Having unauthorised persons entering school grounds is not acceptable and dangerous,” Maybus said.
“The thought that this thief could have been approached by any student is frightening. A thief armed with a battery angle grinder could be extremely dangerous and put that student at risk.”
Critics argue stronger reforms will eventually come, as the State Government has a “habit of playing catch-up”.
“They’re very narrow-minded. Crime is all over the press, right in front of your eyes on TV almost every day,” Hutchinson said.
“It took far too long to act on the machetes, even though the public demanded action.
The cost of those bins to dispose of the knives is just wasting money.”
Despite the setback, MP David Limbrick urged everyone to keep up the fight for change.
“I won’t be giving up on this. I will be keeping up the pressure with a campaign. We have a live petition that is attracting hundreds of signatures. If we get to 10,000 signatures, it will force the Government into another debate.”
Sign the petition via https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/get-involved/petitions/amend-self-defence-laws?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwMJ5RlleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHpVdbIbVaGsYbH6HGyMlXOJ039YcAoN9npHiO0XiQtJWPyNW-lnCM7iJmBTB_aem_y5KP9AACCLc7MwGgvg_4Zw
