Victoria Cracks Down on Criminals Posting Crimes on Social Media

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If you commit a serious crime and then brag about it online — you could soon face extra jail time in Victoria.

That’s the message from Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny, who today introduced a new bill to state parliament targeting offenders who “post and boast” about their crimes on social media or messaging apps.

Under the proposal, posting about crimes like burglary, car theft, home invasion, affray, and robbery could become a separate offence, punishable by up to two years in jail — on top of the penalty for the original crime.

Kilkenny said the move responds to a troubling trend where mainly young offenders film or post about their criminal behaviour for views, clout or street cred.

“It is retraumatising victims. It is driving fear in our communities. We need to put a stop to it — and we need to do it now,” she said.

Currently, this type of online behaviour is only considered an aggravating factor in court, but the new law would make it a crime on its own.

What else is changing?

• Victoria Police will get new powers to issue search warrants to investigate online crime.

• Posting criminal content would be a criminal act, even after the offence is committed.

• Bystanders or journalists who post content without involvement in the crime would not be penalised.

Police Minister Anthony Carbines urged people to report any such content:

“Make a report. In many cases, we can only act when people speak up.”

The opposition is also expected to support the bill, having long pushed for harsher penalties and more online accountability for offenders.

So if the law passes, turning crime into content in Victoria could soon cost you more than just your followers — it could land you more time behind bars.

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