Victoria’s opposition has proposed round-the-clock GPS monitoring of high-risk stalkers, alongside stronger court protections for victims, under a package of reforms named Celeste’s Law.
Opposition Leader Jess Wilson announced the plan in honour of 23-year-old Celeste Manno, who was murdered at home by a former colleague after months of stalking and harassment.
Under the proposal, stalkers subject to intervention orders could be placed on a trial GPS monitoring scheme, with exclusion zones created around victims’ homes and workplaces.
The reforms would also give stalking victims the same protections in court as people experiencing family violence. They would be able to provide pre-recorded evidence, while alleged perpetrators would be prevented from personally cross-examining them.
Ms Wilson said Ms Manno’s death had highlighted shortcomings in Victoria’s justice system.
“Whether your stalker is a former partner, a colleague or a stranger, you deserve the same protection under the law,” the state Liberal leader said.
The proposal includes a dedicated Department of Justice taskforce to oversee the implementation of all 45 recommendations made by the Victorian Law Reform Commission in its report on stalking.
Opposition victim support spokeswoman Renee Heath said only a small number of the recommendations had been implemented, four years after the report was delivered. She said victims and their families deserved a comprehensive response.
Other proposed measures include compulsory specialist stalking training for police, tougher laws covering digital stalking and improved information sharing between police, courts and victim support services.
Police would also be required to offer referrals for specialist screening of vehicles and devices where electronic tracking was suspected. A direct pathway to the Magistrates’ Court would be established for urgent applications for intervention orders.
The plan also includes behaviour-change programmes for perpetrators, improved access to specialist support for victims and a review of financial assistance available to victims in regional and rural areas.
The taskforce would be asked to consider adding stalking offences to the adult time, adult crime list.
The Liberals and Nationals have said the reforms would be funded through their proposed 100 million Australian dollar Safer Communities Fund.
A 2024 Australian Bureau of Statistics personal safety survey found that one in five women and one in 15 men had experienced stalking. It found women were eight times more likely to be stalked by a man than by a woman, while male victims were stalked at similar rates by men and women.
Stalking includes repeatedly following or watching someone, loitering near their home or workplace, monitoring them electronically, maintaining unwanted contact, or hacking or impersonating them online.
