Liberal plan to split Victorian appeals court attacked as ‘thought bubble’ that would politicise judiciary

Victoria’s leader of the opposition, Jess Wilson, has proposed radical reforms to the state’s highest court of appeal. Photograph: Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images

A radical overhaul of Victoria’s highest court, proposed by the Liberal party to increase sentences, has been criticised by legal and human rights groups who warn it would politicise the judiciary.

The opposition leader, Jess Wilson, on Sunday announced that if elected in November the Coalition would split the court of appeal in two, creating a dedicated court of criminal appeal alongside a separate court of civil appeal.