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Victoria to axe volunteer bail judges

Volunteer bail judges will be axed under major changes to Victoria's bail laws following the Bourke St Mall tragedy, Premier Daniel Andrews says.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews Source: AAP

An after-hours magistrates court will handle now bail matters following outrage over the Bourke St Mall tragedy, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced.

Volunteer bail justices will no longer be used for serious matters in out-of-hours decisions, he said.

The man accused of killing five people in Bourke St on Friday, Dimitrious "Jimmy" Gargasoulas was bailed against the wishes of Victoria Police five days before Friday's attack.

"We owe it, all of us, to the memory and the legacy, each of the families, and those victims are owed nothing less than the hard work required and our singular focus to make the change necessary to make Victoria safer," he told reporters on Monday.

He said "no expense will be spared to get this right", and extra magistrates and resources would be engaged.

Former Director of Public Prosecutions Paul Coghlan will also review the entire bail system.

"On the broader issue of the way our bail system operates it is obviously an area where significant reform needs to be made," Mr Andrews said.

"Nothing will be off the table. Nothing will be off limits."

Mr Coghlan has a deadline of April 3 to provide the government with urgent advice on changes to the bail system.

Attorney-General Martin Pakula said Mr Coghlan's review would look at the balance between community protection and the presumption of innocence.

"We want him to look at the current exceptional circumstances, show cause and unacceptable risk provisions and provide us with advice on whether they appropriate in the current circumstances," Mr Pakula told the press conference.


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