Ruby Jones

I'm Ruby Jones, and you're listening to 7am.

Last year, after months of pressure over youth crime and claims the system had become too soft, Victoria passed what it proudly called the toughest bail laws in the country.

At the time, legal and human rights experts warned the laws would put more children in custody and disproportionately affect First Nations people.

Now the Allen government is doubling down.

In this week's state budget, it said bail refusals were at record highs and promised more money for corrections, faster youth crime hearings and a rewrite of sentencing laws.

But the deeper question hasn't changed.

Should bail be a right or a tool for crime prevention?

Today, we're returning to Daniel James's conversation with legal academic Professor Marilyn McMahon on how media pressure and politics are reshaping bail and what that means for justice.

It's Sunday, May 10, and this episode was originally published in March of 2025.

I'm Ruby Jones.

Thanks for listening.

7am will be back tomorrow with an episode on the first week of the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion.

The Royal Commission has heard first-hand accounts of hatred and harm experienced by Jewish Australians.

But it also needs to answer a difficult question.

What counts as anti-Semitism?

And where is the line between political speech, criticism of Israel and hatred directed at Jews?

That'll be in your feed tomorrow.

See you then.

I'm Ruby Jones and you're listening to 7am.

The seat of Farah in New South Wales has been empty since the resignation of former Liberal leader Susan Lee.