Victorian Liberals plan to split appeals court for tougher sentences

Victoria's Liberal party says it will split the state's highest court if elected in November. It would create one court just for criminal appeals and another for civil cases.

Each would have extra judges. Criminal judges would specialise in crime law.

The goal is to set harsher sentences for serious crimes. Legal experts and human rights groups warn this would let governments choose judges to get the results they want.

This, they say, would undermine the courts' independence. Gemma Cafarella from Liberty Victoria called it dangerous and said it ignores expert advice.