NSW targets gang murder with life sentences 2026

Key Points

• New laws against organized crime have been introduced by NSW Premier Chris Minns following two cases of mistaken-identity shootings within 48 hours.
• There will be a new aggravated offense of conspiracy and attempted gang-related murder that will be punishable with life imprisonment.
• Minors accused of being involved in shooting and firebombing in public places due to organized crimes will be tried in the higher courts and can receive adult punishment.
• Interim orders for serious crime prevention will permit immediate restrictions on movements, associations, and use of devices before the Supreme Court makes a ruling.
• It will be an offense for individuals to incite others to use digital devices to plan and assist serious organized crimes.
• The government has committed $15 million toward enhancing police powers to access, download, and analyze encrypted devices and platforms.
• According to police figures, there have been at least five suspected mistaken-identity shootings since May 2025 and eight innocent victims since 2021.
• Authorities have blamed the violence on overseas gang leaders recruiting inexpensive, often teenagers, contractors to perform the violence.

Wales (Wales Times) September 07, 2026 – The NSW government has unveiled a sweeping crackdown on organised crime, proposing life sentences for those who plan gang-related murders and adult-time penalties for teenagers involved in gang violence, following the shooting deaths of two men in separate incidents police say were cases of mistaken identity.

The measures, announced by Premier Chris Minns alongside Attorney-General Michael Daley and Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon, are designed to target every stage of organised crime operations, from offshore “puppet masters” to local intermediaries and the young people hired to carry out shootings and arson.

What penalties will plotters of gang murder face?

Under the proposed reforms, the government will introduce a new aggravated offence for conspiracy to commit gang-related murder, increasing the maximum penalty from 25 years to life imprisonment. The offence will capture anyone who attempts, conspires or agrees to murder, as well as anyone who solicits, encourages, persuades or endeavours to persuade someone to murder, even if the killing does not actually occur.

As reported by journalists covering the announcement, Premier Minns said:

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

The government stated it has “zero tolerance for anyone involved in gang killings” and that offenders will now face life sentences for this conduct.

How will teenagers involved in gang crime be treated?

The reforms will expand the serious children’s indictable offences (SCIOs) scheme to cover conduct linked to organised crime. Four additional offences relating to public shootings and firebombings will be added to the SCIO scheme, which currently includes offences with a maximum penalty of 25 years or life imprisonment.

SCIOs must be tried in higher courts, such as the District Court or Supreme Court, where children face adult penalties, including longer terms of imprisonment. As a result, young individuals charged with these offences will be tried outside the Children’s Court and potentially receive adult sentences if convicted.

Police have said criminal gangs are increasingly employing children as young as 14 to conduct violent acts, including shootings and arson, often for small sums of money. Commissioner Lanyon said some young people accept contracts “for a very small fee” without considering the repercussions.

What powers will police have to restrict suspected offenders?

The government plans to implement interim serious crime prevention orders, enabling law enforcement to impose immediate and strict limitations on figures within the criminal underworld while the NSW Supreme Court deliberates on final orders. These interim orders will enforce immediate restrictions on an individual’s movements, associations, and access to devices, even pending a full order from the court.

Final orders may limit who a person can associate with, where they can go, and impose conditions about access to devices, the internet and tech platforms. It will also become a crime to encourage someone else to use a digital platform to arrange or facilitate serious organised criminal activity.

How much funding is being provided to tackle encrypted communications?

Premier Minns announced an additional investment of $15 million to allow a broader roll-out of police capabilities to access, download and analyse encrypted devices and digital platforms linked to organised crime investigations. The funding is intended to enhance police technology designed to penetrate encrypted communication methods often used by criminal networks to arrange and plan violent activities.

The government said the investment would help “break open” criminal networks that utilise encrypted devices and digital platforms for communication.

What do police say about mistaken-identity shootings?

The legislative push follows the deaths of 23-year-old university student Marco Tapia in Glen Alpine and 40-year-old business owner Joshua Macdonald in Merrylands, both killed in separate shootings within 48 hours that police are investigating as mistaken-identity attacks. Commissioner Mal Lanyon confirmed that both shootings were being investigated as mistaken-identity killings by organised crime groups.

Police say there have been five suspected cases of mistaken identity since May 2025, with fears that reckless overseas criminal leaders are worsening the potentially misguided attacks. Authorities have previously indicated that figures from the underworld who operate from abroad are enlisting young people to carry out killings and other violent acts.

Commissioner Lanyon said the community could take comfort in the police force’s continued and “relentless” efforts against organised crime networks, noting that over the past 12 months more than 700 people connected with organised crime had been arrested for committing offences “exactly like we saw yesterday”. Police Minister Yasmin Catley told a media conference that while the recent deaths were unacceptable, the force had the resources it needed to tackle organised crime gangs.

What is the government’s stance on the scale of the problem?

When asked if community concerns were warranted in light of last week’s shootings, Premier Minns stated: “We do think there’s a problem.” He added: “There seems to be a callousness towards human life that I have not witnessed before… the indifference towards all individuals—whether they are actual criminals or just random passersby—is appalling.”

Minns acknowledged a shift in the nature of the violence, saying: “The nature of this criminal activity is evolving literally as we speak.” He emphasised that the goal was to dismantle a violent, unethical criminal organisation that seeks to profit from the suffering of others and eliminate anyone who stands in their way.

At the same time, the state government and NSW Police have consistently dismissed claims that they have lost control over organised crime in Sydney. Minister Catley said: “I do not accept that this is out of control,” while Commissioner Lanyon said the public could expect to see a bolstered police presence as investigations continue.

What is the opposition’s response to the proposed laws?

NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane criticised the government for “attempting to appear tough on crime while failing to produce results”. She said organised crime was “not diminishing under Labor’s leadership, regardless of the number of laws being proposed or the press releases lacking in substance”.

Sloane added:

“If this [legislation] is sensible, we will support it. However, it lacks detail, we have no timelines, and we have yet to see the actual legislation, so we will evaluate it first.”

Background to the crackdown on organised crime

The latest reforms mark the NSW government’s third major initiative against organised crime in two years, following earlier measures aimed at deterring gangs from exploiting young people and using “kill cars” in organised violence. The 2026–27 state budget has earmarked $126 million to revamp the NSW Police’s approach to combating underworld crime.

Authorities say eight people have been killed in cases of mistaken identity since 2021, and when including those allegedly targeted because they are family members of gang members or were innocent bystanders, the figure rises to 14. Police blame inept teenagers being contracted by overseas criminals, who are willing to murder for a few thousand dollars.

Minns said his administration is collaborating with federal agencies to create a more efficient process for police to obtain Interpol Red Notices for organised crime figures residing overseas and instigating violence in Sydney from jurisdictions outside Australia’s extradition agreements. Capturing crime lords located abroad, particularly in regions of the Middle East and Southeast Asia, poses a significant challenge for NSW Police as they confront the influence of fugitive gang leaders within Sydney’s criminal landscape.

Predictions: how could these changes affect communities and young people?

If enacted, the laws are likely to affect several groups in different ways. For young people, the expansion of SCIOs and the requirement for higher-court trials means teenagers involved in public shootings or firebombings linked to organised crime could face adult penalties, including life imprisonment, shifting the legal risk profile for minors drawn into gang activity.

For communities in suburbs where gang-related violence has occurred, the interim and final serious crime prevention orders could lead to more visible restrictions on suspected offenders’ movements and associations, potentially reducing opportunities for retaliatory attacks but also raising questions about due process and the threshold for imposing such orders.

For law enforcement, the $15 million investment in technology to access encrypted devices and platforms may improve the ability to identify planners and intermediaries, particularly those operating offshore, but success will depend on cooperation from technology companies and federal agencies.

For offshore-based gang leaders, the combination of life sentences for conspiracy, expanded digital offences and efforts to streamline Interpol Red Notices could increase the legal and operational risks of directing violence in Sydney from abroad, though extradition and enforcement across borders remain complex.