Three-strikes sentencing for repeat burglary
TL;DR
- ACT, a party in the current government, has proposed a new rule: if someone is convicted of burglary for the third time (or convicted of three or more burglaries at once), they would have to spend at least three years in prison, with no chance of early release, for that sentence.
- The maximum sentence under this rule would be ten years. Judges would still decide the exact length within that three-to-ten-year range, based on the details of the case.
- A more serious type of burglary, called "aggravated burglary" (burglary involving violence or threats), would count toward this three-strikes rule.
- ACT says the change targets a small number of people who keep committing burglary, pointing to about 184,000 reported burglary victims in 2025.
- The government estimates this change would cost about $200 million a year, mostly from keeping more people in prison for longer.
- This was announced on 8 July 2026. It isn't law yet — it would need to pass through Parliament first.
More detail
Supporters of this kind of law say repeat offenders should face longer sentences to keep the public safe, and that a small number of people are responsible for a large share of burglaries.
Critics of "three-strikes" style laws generally argue they take away judges' ability to weigh up the specific circumstances of each case, and that research doesn't clearly show these laws reduce crime, while they do cost more to run prisons.
Full Detail if you want to know more
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.