Parents who leave their children in cars unattended will face longer jail sentences and increased fines, under a Victorian Government crack down.
Prison terms would be doubled to six months and offenders would face fines of nearly $3,700 if they were caught intentionally leaving any child under the age of 12 in a car unattended.
Ambulance Victoria responds to around 1,000 incidents each year, with a third of them resulting in a child being taken to hospital.
Minister for Children Wendy Lovell said many parents were not heeding the warnings.
“Over the summer we saw a number of children left alone in cars and it can be very dangerous in the hot weather,” she said.
“We want parents to be aware that there are dangers in leaving children alone and we’ll continue to educate parents on this matter.
“There’s simply no excuses for leaving a child unattended.”
The President of Kidsafe Victoria, Erica Edmands, supported the tougher penalties, but said more measures were needed.
“The legislative changes are one part of a suite of initiatives that need to be implemented, and we will continue to work with the government around ongoing education and awareness programs to complement those new laws,” she said.
“In particular to help new parents or new carers to try to give them tips and techniques to help them remember some of the things which can be very difficult, particularly when you’re caring for young children.”