Legislation has been introduced into the Victorian Parliament to combat the recruitment of children to carry out crimes such as shootings, arson and theft.

The Victorian hospitality and retail sector is battling a major wave of organised crime bosses using children to firebomb venues and steal goods.

Dozens of venues, from nightclubs and bars to upscale restaurants, have been targeted in recent months. The motive for the attacks on nightclubs and bars is alleged to be extortion connected to the sale of black market liquor.

Chemical testing by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) at UNSW Sydney and the National Drug Research Institute (NDRI) also found illicit vodka is being sold by some Melbourne retailers.

While the true size and reach of the illicit alcohol market is unclear, the Australian Taxation Office recently estimated it to be worth at least $767 million annually.

The new Victorian legislation will create an aggravated offence of recruiting a child to commit a serious crime, with perpetrators facing life in prison. The offence applies whether the crime is carried out by the child or not.

To make both the existing and new offence easier to prosecute, the legislation also removes the requirement for the offender to know the child is underage.

Victoria Police’s Operation Eclipse has seen more than 65 arrests and 370 charges laid in connection to recent arson attacks.

The Victorian Government has given Victoria Police $5 million to boost tech in the State Command and Coordination Centre.

Premier Jacinta Allan said: “Organised crime bosses who recruit kids to torch venues and invade homes deserve no sympathy. They are preying on children and putting Victorians at risk.”

Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny said: “These laws send a clear message – those who recruit children to commit crime will face the full force of the law.”

Minister for Police Anthony Carbines said: “Organised crime groups are recruiting children to do their dirty work – we will not stand by and watch this happen.”

Crime drops across Victoria

In the year to March 2026, Victoria’s criminal incident rate fell by nearly 3% and the youth offending rate fell by 6%.

The Victorian Government said that despite these positive signs, crime was still unacceptably high and there was more work to do.

Measures brought in include:

• The Adult Time for Violent Crime initiative, increasing the likelihood of jail
• Establishment of the Violence Reduction Unit to intervene early and stop crime before it starts
• Chief Commissioner’s plan to get more police on the streets
• PSOs in shopping centres and tougher ram-raid laws

Minister for Police Anthony Carbines said: “There’s more work to do but crime is down, youth offending is down and more people are being jailed not bailed.”

“We give police what they need to keep Victorians safe – more powers, tougher laws and stronger consequences.”

Australian Retail Council Chief Executive Chris Rodwell told The Australian: “Victoria has unfortunately been the national hotspot for retail crime for a number of years which is why we are so focused on government and police action to protect retail workers and customers.

“Threats and intimidation against retail workers are rising – off a deplorably high base – and that’s unacceptable. Threatening behaviour against retail workers increased more than 10% over the past year and has risen almost 35% since 2022.

“Nearly 5000 assault and related offences were recorded in Victorian retail stores and shopping centres in one year. That’s abhorrent. It’s obvious more needs to be done.”