Controversial bail laws could lose their "tough" moniker as state MPs settle in for a potentially long and fiery debate in parliament.
The Victorian opposition has flagged it will move an amendment to the Allan Labor government's controversial Tough Bail Bill as debate resumes in the upper house on Thursday.
The change would scrap the word "tough" from the bill's title, with the coalition arguing the proposed changes don't go far enough.
"We know that under this government crime is out of control and community safety is a serious concern," the opposition's deputy upper house leader Evan Mulholland told reporters.
"Ultimately this bill does not make the laws as strong as pre-March (2024)."
The reforms would remove the principle of remand as a last resort for children, make community safety an overarching principle for bail decisions, reintroduce bail offences and toughen up bail tests for serious offences.
All would be immediately enacted once the bill passes parliament, except for the bail tests.
The opposition won't oppose the bill but will move other amendments to toughen consequences for breaching bail conditions and committing an indictable offence on bail.
If any amendments are passed, the bill will need to be send back to the Labor-controlled lower house for approval.
"I've bought the pyjamas, I'm ready to stay for however long it takes to get tougher bail laws," Mr Mulholland quipped.
Premier Jacinta Allan accused the coalition of playing "silly little games" instead of focusing on community safety.
"There's a question for the Liberal Party on why they're focused on semantics and not outcomes," she said.
"Focus on the substance of the issues here ... don't keep shifting the goalposts, don't get out your liquid paper pen and cross out words, get up and do the work.
"Parliament won't be leaving today until this bill is passed."
Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Bob Hill said it was important for the legislation to be passed "as fast as humanly possible" to improve community safety.
"There was a way to go, and we know between now and until that bail legislation is implemented, we are going to see more victims of crime," the deputy commissioner for regional operations told reporters on Thursday.
"We are going to see more families terrorised ... we are going to see potentially people killed."
The Greens, who plan to move a series of doomed amendments, will oppose the "draconian" laws but are considering supporting the Liberals' title change push.
Greens justice spokeswoman Katherine Copsey suggested the legislation should be renamed the "Panicked Bail Bill" due to its rushed development and being rammed through parliament in less than a week.
The premier has capitulated to law-and-order politics to save her scalp and is repeating past mistakes, Ms Copsey said.
"We know that the last time they a knee-jerk policy response on bail like this we saw a doubling of First Nations women warehoused in Victoria's jails, we saw deaths in custody," she said.
Victoria tightened bail laws in 2018 after James Gargasoulas drove into Melbourne's busy Bourke Street Mall in 2017 while on bail, killing six people and injuring dozens more.
A coronial inquest into the death of Indigenous woman Veronica Nelson in 2020 found the changes were a "complete and unmitigated disaster", sparking a relaxation of laws in March 2024.
Ms Allan said the government "got it wrong" and vowed a crackdown on repeat serious offenders.
