Fernando Marino, 33, and Karen McGovern, 31, were hit as they crossed a road in Carlton's restaurant district in August 2011, leaving their two young children orphaned.

The driver, Kathryn Eliza Matiszak, wept in a Victorian County Court dock on Monday as Judge Damian Murphy outlined the consequences of her crime.

"Your conduct has resulted in the death of a loving couple, the building block of our society, and left two children orphans," Judge Murphy said. "Your dangerous driving has destroyed the natural order. Parents should not have to bury their children.

"Children should be raised by their parents, not grandparents, aunties and uncles."

Judge Murphy sentenced Matiszak to six years in jail with a minimum of three years and three months, and cancelled her licence for four years.

But Ms McGovern's father, Peter McGovern, said the sentence was lenient.

"Devastated, we all are," he said outside court.

"No sentence is good enough for what we've lost.

"We've got a life sentence, her children have a life sentence.

"It's not enough. It never will be enough."

The Illawarra couple were on a weekend trip to Melbourne to watch Ms McGovern's beloved AFL team, the Sydney Swans, play at the MCG when they were killed.

Matiszak, 31, of Keilor, pleaded guilty to two counts of dangerous driving causing death.

She was travelling at 65km/h in a 50km/h speed zone and the traffic light had been red for six seconds when she drove through the intersection and hit the couple.

Matiszak never provided a reason for her lapse of concentration, but Judge Murphy condemned her combination of speed and significant inattention.

"For a period of nearly 10 seconds, you were inattentive ... and exceeding the speed limit to boot," he said.

He accepted Matiszak was genuinely remorseful and said her young son would provide incentive for her rehabilitation. AAP