Three-strikes sentencing for repeat burglary
ACT deputy leader Nicole McKee announced on 8 July 2026 that a re-elected National–ACT government would extend three-strikes sentencing to burglary. A third burglary conviction — or a single case involving three or more burglary counts — would carry a mandatory minimum three-year prison term served without parole, up to a maximum of ten years, with judges keeping discretion within that range. Aggravated burglary would count as a strike under both this regime and ACT's existing three-strikes law for violent offending. McKee said the change would protect the public from a "small group of offenders" who cannot victimise people "from a jail cell", citing 184,000 reported burglary victims in 2025; ACT estimated the cost at about $200 million a year.
The debate
ACT casts the policy as targeting a small number of prolific reoffenders. Critics of three-strikes-style sentencing have generally argued such laws remove judicial discretion and raise prison costs without clearly reducing crime; no opposition party had responded when ACT made the announcement.
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Key milestones
ACT unveils three-strikes policy for repeat burglary
ACT deputy leader Nicole McKee announced the party would introduce a three-strikes regime for burglary if returned to government. A third burglary conviction, or a single case with three or more burglary counts, would trigger a minimum three-year sentence without parole and a maximum of ten years, with aggravated burglary counting as a strike. McKee cited 184,000 reported burglary victims in 2025 and said most released burglars are back in prison within two years. ACT put the cost at roughly $200 million a year.