The Victorian Coalition has vowed to extend the requirement for mandatory reporting of child abuse into the family home.

Currently, school teachers, medical professionals and other welfare officers are required to report suspected abuse.

The Opposition says it will make it an offence for family members to fail to protect a child and allow a child to die through neglect or abuse.

Opposition leader Ted Baillieu says it is a step in the right direction.

"We believe this will be a positive step in protecting children, and empowering those who are otherwise subject to all sorts of pressures...to not act," he said.

"We need to create that obligation, so that people know they're obliged to act to protect children."

Minimum sentences

Meanwhile, the Coalition has moved to bolster its law and order credentials, announcing a policy to significantly toughen sentences for serious crime if it wins Saturday's election.

The Coalition would impose mandatory minimum sentences for crimes such as murder, which would attract a minimum 20 year sentence.

People convicted of drug trafficking would be jailed for at least a decade.

The Opposition's spokesman Robert Clark acknowledges the Coalition will have to provide more prison funding to allow for more offenders spending more time in jail.

He has accused Labor of going 'soft on crime' and says current Victorian sentencing practices are out of line with community expectations.

"The baseline sentences will be both the starting point and remain the centre point for every sentence for a serious crime in Victoria," he said.

"If the judge fails to base their sentence on the baseline sentence laid down by parliament, the court of appeal will be empowered and be required to bring them back into line."

The Attorney-General Rob Hulls has attacked the plan, saying it will not reduce crime rates and is not supported by the legal profession.

He says he does not believe sentencing is always out of line with community expectations.

Mr Hulls says taking a mandatory approach will impact on the civil liberties of Victorians.

"It's also important that each individual case is dealt with on its merits," he said.

"There are 90,000 sentences handed down in our courts each year, a very small number of those are appeals.

"Yes, sometimes judges do get it wrong, but we have an individual appeals process to ensure that any sentence incorrectly imposed is corrected."