The NSW government has announced another legislative crackdown on organised crime after the suspected mistaken-identity killings of 23-year-old student Marco Tapia and 40-year-old Joshua Macdonald.

It is the government’s third major organised crime package in recent years.

The political spur is understandable. Multiple gangland shootings in 2026 have left Sydneysiders shaken, and 14 innocent people have died in Sydney since 2021.

But will tougher laws actually reduce violence?

Issues with the new laws

NSW Premier Chris Minns’ legislative package would introduce:

new offences with potential life imprisonment

interim Serious Crime Prevention Orders

expanded youth offending provisions

$15 million for expanded NSW police technology capabilities.

A key feature of the proposed laws is a new aggravated offence for conspiracy and attempted murder linked to gang violence, carrying a maximum penalty of life imprisonment – up from 25 years.

If you conspire to arrange a gangland murder, you should face the prospect of spending the rest of your life behind bars.

If you conspire to arrange a gangland murder, you should face the prospect of spending the rest of your life behind bars.

This is classic deterrence logic: make the punishment severe so potential offenders think twice.

The problem is, most research shows increasing the severity of penalties has little or no........

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