There is no state in Australia where crime has been allowed to get out of control as much as it has in Victoria. Things have got so bad that for a great many Victorians crime is now the number one issue. Bigger than even the cost of living. It is so sad to see what has happened in so many parts of our state, particularly Melbourne. It used to be the crown jewel of Australia. Now, after a decade of woeful leadership by the Labor Party, it is the butt of jokes and derision.

It does not have to be this way. There are plenty of examples around the world of big cities that were once blighted by crime turning the situation around with a new, uncompromising approach. We have all heard about the broken windows theory and how a new no-nonsense approach to tackling crime turned New York City around in the 1990s.

The reality is that this will never happen under this Labor government. Things will only continue to get worse and spiral out of control.

One of the key problems is that rather than being focused on tackling crime in our communities, there is a growing sense that key Labor figures could have been engaged in actual crimes themselves. Look no further than the Big Build corruption that is now being investigated.

The Liberal Party in Victoria claims it can be trusted to get a grip on the situation. But like on so many issues, it just can’t be trusted. It remains too divided to take the robust approach to tackling crime that is necessary.

The One Nation Victoria team of candidates that I lead and I are all fully committed to adopting a new, radical approach to tackling crime. We won’t come up with excuses for why we can’t do something. We will soon outline our detailed plan for tackling crime in Victoria. However, last week, in an interview with the Herald Sun, I provided some detail.

One thing we will do is ensure that judges who time and time again hand down soft, overly lenient sentences to criminals are held to account. More often than not, these judges will lead privileged lives and will never have to live with the day-to-day consequences of crime. Yet they are a big part of creating a culture where there are insufficient deterrents to engaging in crime. These judges should not be beyond question. We live in a democracy, after all. One Nation Victoria is developing proposals that would involve a panel of everyday Victorians reviewing soft sentences issued by out-of-touch judges.

The punishment must fit the crime. For too long, uniparty politicians have turned a blind eye to a wave of crime in Victoria that is destroying lives and communities.

At One Nation Victoria, our priorities are the people’s priorities. That is why tackling crime will be at the heart of our campaign. I look forward to sharing more about our plan to tackle crime soon.