As violence between organised crime syndicates flares, a state government has proposed a range of laws including potential life sentences for murder plots.

Aggravated offences for conspiracy and attempted murder will extend the maximum penalty to life imprisonment for those engaging in planning a murder in NSW, even if the killing does not actually occur.

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The changes announced on Monday would also allow children suspected of organised crime-linked public shootings or firebombings to be placed on trial as adults with much tougher potential penalties.

The proposed laws mark the NSW government’s major response to a shocking flare-up in violence on Sydney’s streets that included two innocent people being killed in botched gangland hits in as many days.

A man in his 40s was gunned down outside a west Sydney duplex where he was working on Wednesday afternoon, with a university student shot dead in his family’s southwest Sydney home on Tuesday.

There have been five suspected cases of mistaken identity since May 2025, with fears reckless overseas criminal leaders are worsening the potentially misguided attacks.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said laws needed to keep up with the changing face of organised crime.

NSW Premier Chris Minns has announced new laws which would see anyone found guilty of planning a murder to receive a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Credit: AAP

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

“We want to hit these criminal networks at every point - the people who organise the violence, the people who facilitate it online and the people who ultimately carry it out.”

Under the proposed changes, four additional offences relating to public shootings and firebombings will be added to the serious children’s indictable offences scheme, which must be tried in higher courts where kids face adult penalties, including life imprisonment.

Other changes would include more restrictions on individuals suspected of involvement in serious and organised crime. The orders would include limits on who a person can associate with, where they can go and conditions about access to devices, the internet and tech platforms.

It would also be a crime to encourage someone else to use a digital platform to arrange or facilitate serious organised criminal activity.

It comes after a spate of gangland shootings across Sydney which left innocent people dead due to mistaken identity. Credit: 7NEWS

Additional investment of $15 million would more allow a broader roll-out of police capabilities to access, download and analyse encrypted devices and digital platforms linked to organised crime investigations.

Legislation remains before parliament for a raft of previously announced changes aimed at cracking down on organised crime, including enabling police to compel suspects to unlock their phones and increased penalties for refusing to do so.