4 hours ago, Ghostwriter said:

What part of my quote (above) do you not understand???

Let me make it even clearer:

It doesn’t matter who the current Premier is, hence not mentioning her name. The point is - IN MY OPINION - a Premier (any presiding Premier) has more of a right to comment publicly about this matter than a coach, especially the coach of a club other than Balta’s.

Politicians now feel the need to comment about everything - Taylor Swift, drinking water to stay hydrated, swimming between the flags, checking on granny during hot weather and every high profile crime event. I really don't know how humanity survived without their gratuitous advice.

She should shut her cake hole about most things & worry about paying off the debt.

15 hours ago, spirit of norm smith said:

BALTA PLEADED GUILTY

CCTV WAS DAMNING

BALTA’s assault was severe and serious.

He deserved 6-month suspended jail sentence

The $3000 fine was too low … $50,000 would have been the bare minimum

It was not one punch - there were 7 punches to the VICTIM

Yes BALTA is not the victim He was the offender

HE GOT OFF VERY LIGHTLY

BALTA = COWARD KING HIT OFFENDER

JUSTICE IS NOT SERVED

It would absolutely serve as a deterrent to other AFL players who have notions of attaining special treatment in these sort of instances.

For the record, if our club ever field a player who viciously coward-punched a person I’d tear up my membership for good.

Edited April 23Apr 23 by Mel Bourne

41 minutes ago, Mel Bourne said:

It would absolutely serve as a deterrent to other AFL players who have notions of attaining special treatment in these sort of instances.

For the record, if our club ever field a player who viciously coward-punched a person I’d tear up my membership for good.

does melksham vs may inside / outside entrocote count?

42 minutes ago, Mel Bourne said:

For the record, if our club ever field a player who viciously coward-punched a person I’d tear up my membership for good.

cough, cough... Steven May @ Continentel Hotel... cough, cough

Edited April 23Apr 23 by Stiff Arm

29 minutes ago, Stiff Arm said:

cough, cough... Steven May @ Continentel Hotel... cough, cough

Yes we should wait until this unfortunate incident is finished with.

3 hours ago, Roost it far said:

That’s likely the worst argument I’ve ever heard for not putting someone in jail

Cost is always a consideration.

I would rather Balta did something productive like cleaning up my local creek instead of hanging with criminals in jail. I'm unconvinced that jail is the effective deterrent it is often assumed to be.

2 hours ago, Cranky Franky said:

Politicians now feel the need to comment about everything - Taylor Swift, drinking water to stay hydrated, swimming between the flags, checking on granny during hot weather and every high profile crime event. I really don't know how humanity survived without their gratuitous advice.

She should shut her cake hole about most things & worry about paying off the debt.

Is this a parody account?

The ten seconds the politician spent responding to the journalist's question has no bearing on the state's finances.

18 minutes ago, speed demon said:

Is this a parody account?

The ten seconds the politician spent responding to the journalist's question has no bearing on the state's finances.

And I suspect someone would have accused her of being "soft on crime" if she didn't speak out. It was really a "no win" situation for her whatever she chose to do.

Balta out - Asbo ankle bracket

you couldn’t make this stuff up

1 hour ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

And I suspect someone would have accused her of being "soft on crime" if she didn't speak out. It was really a "no win" situation for her whatever she chose to do.

except her normal response would be "let me be perfectly clear. It would be inappropriate for me to talk about matters before the court"

3 hours ago, whatwhat say what said:

does melksham vs may inside / outside entrocote count?

3 hours ago, Stiff Arm said:

cough, cough... Steven May @ Continentel Hotel... cough, cough

No, an 18 year-old punched repeatedly in an unprovoked attack, does not compare to the Melksham/May incident.

The Continental incident? If it transpires that May did something similar to what Balta did then yeah, I’d want him gone. But I’m not aware of those details, so I reserve judgement

I don’t lend my support to violent thugs just because they’re wearing a footy jumper.

Edited April 23Apr 23 by Mel Bourne

Just now, Mel Bourne said:

.

Edited April 23Apr 23 by Mel Bourne

55 minutes ago, daisycutter said:

except her normal response would be "let me be perfectly clear. It would be inappropriate for me to talk about matters before the court"

I wonder whether the fact that the court was in NSW made any difference? If it had been a Victorian court, there is a stronger argument that the Victorian Premier shouldn't be commenting as it could be construed that the Premier, whatever she said, might have been trying to influence the outcome.

11 hours ago, speed demon said:

Cost is always a consideration.

I would rather Balta did something productive like cleaning up my local creek instead of hanging with criminals in jail. I'm unconvinced that jail is the effective deterrent it is often assumed to be.

“Instead of hanging with other criminals….”

19 hours ago, Cranky Franky said:

Politicians now feel the need to comment about everything - Taylor Swift, drinking water to stay hydrated, swimming between the flags, checking on granny during hot weather and every high profile crime event. I really don't know how humanity survived without their gratuitous advice.

She should shut her cake hole about most things & worry about paying off the debt.

I have to say cranky, your sense of humour is gold, in particular your command of irony, the bedrock of great comedy.

To whit, this magic one two:

'I really don't know how humanity survived without their gratuitous advice'

'She should shut her cake hole'

Edited April 23Apr 23 by binman

21 hours ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

Reasons why some offenders do not end up in gaol include cost. The community has to pay for every person incarcerated. If we as a society want to imprison more people we would have to agree to pay for it. That includes capital expenditure to build more gaols (because the ones we have are already full) plus the daily costs associated with keeping them there (ie, paying prison officers, food, etc).

So, for anyone who wants more people to be gaoled, be prepared for your taxes to be increased. Someone has to pay for it.

The inference here is that PAYE need to pay. There are many other avenues to raise taxation, starting with super profits taxes especially on economic rents and resource extraction, or reprioritising defence spending (ie not Aukus). The premise therefore needs widening as it changes people’s decision making.

There is a concept in the criminal justice system called extrajudicial punishment; a punishment not issued by the courts. In this case the media scrutiny surrounding the case can be viewed as punishment in of itself for Balta. In the context of it being his first offence, I’d say that’s a perfectly valid position to take. Not everyone that commits an offence has their case thrust into the public domain like this. He now carries this for life, both on his criminal record and in the court of public opinion. For someone who hasn’t been in trouble with the law before and who took full responsible for his actions and showed remorse, I can’t see gaol as being the right option here given that.

Edited April 23Apr 23 by Smokey

These thugs never get gaol time.

My son was coward punched. Didn't know the thug ... had zero interactions with him. Totally random ...

The thug was convicted ... he got 300 hours community service time. I'll bet he didn't end up doing the full 300 hours.

I attended court to personally deliver our family's victim impact statement. I was hoping the thug would get time in the big house, but it was never going to happen.

I despise Balta and his ilk.

3 hours ago, At Least I Saw a Flag said:

These thugs never get gaol time.

My son was coward punched. Didn't know the thug ... had zero interactions with him. Totally random ...

The thug was convicted ... he got 300 hours community service time. I'll bet he didn't end up doing the full 300 hours.

I attended court to personally deliver our family's victim impact statement. I was hoping the thug would get time in the big house, but it was never going to happen.

I despise Balta and his ilk.

I hope your son is OK.

4 hours ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

I hope your son is OK.

Thankfully yes.

On 23/04/2025 at 11:25, Colm said:

I think he’s probably got a fair whack considering it was his first offence. I assume he was told he’s somebody was fighting with his brother and he’s rung out and completely over reacted.

Think the judge did well enforcing the curfew as it affects him for the next 3 months. The fact that he has a public profile means much more attention and shame brought to him and his family.

If similar footage of Steven May came out would people be as quick to be calling for him to be jailed?!

My problem is with Richmond and the AFL. They both should have been much harder on him. 4 game ban- Kossie got 3 for a bump that was a fraction late and a fraction high. Doesn’t seem to add up, the two things aren’t in the same league and doesn’t set a good example for kids.

I guess players getting concussion might cost them money. Kids having their lives ruined by a coward punch not so much.

First charges but not the first time Balta has been involved in a public punch on, he’s got form