Tuesday, 4 March 2025

Questions without notice and ministers statements

Bail laws

Brad BATTIN (Berwick – Leader of the Opposition) (14:01): My question is to the Premier. The Deputy Premier stated that the enhanced bail supervision and support trial, which places high-risk youth offenders with ankle bracelets in schools, was wrong on so many levels and that he found out about this government plan by reading about it in the Herald Sun. Can the Premier confirm she failed to advise her own deputy of a major policy announcement in his portfolio?

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:02): I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. The opposition leader made a quote about the matter being wrong on so many levels. Let me inform the Leader of the Opposition just exactly how wrong he is on so many levels. I remind the Leader of the Opposition that the government announced the policy intent to introduce electronic monitoring for serious repeats youth offenders in April of last year. It was not last week; it was April of last year. I also remind the Leader of the Opposition –

Bridget Vallence: Speaker, on a point of order on relevance, this is specifically around a new policy of having these youth offenders in schools, and I would ask you to ask the Premier to come back to that question, on relevance.

Mary-Anne Thomas: Speaker, there is no point of order. I ask that you let the Premier get on with answering the question. She was being entirely relevant to the question that was asked.

The SPEAKER: The Premier was being relevant to the question.

Jacinta ALLAN: Of course I would also like to remind the Leader of the Opposition that the introduction of electronic monitoring is providing the courts with another mechanism to monitor young offenders while they are on bail. I know the Leader of the Opposition has had a lot to say about youth justice and the importance of keeping young people connected to school settings. The Leader of the Opposition, you would have thought, would also know that a part of bail conditions is of course keeping young kids connected to school settings. And, guess what, with electronic monitoring, as part of setting bail conditions, there is –

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, the Premier is debating the question. It was a very narrow question asking if she had failed to advise her own Deputy Premier.

Mary-Anne Thomas: Speaker, there is no point of order. The Premier was answering the question. Again I ask you to let the Premier get on with answering the question and rule the point of order out of order.

The SPEAKER: I ask the Premier to come back to the question.

Jacinta ALLAN: In answering the Leader of the Opposition’s question it is incumbent upon me to perhaps explain to the Leader of the Opposition how the bail system works. It is clear that he does not understand it, because if he did he would know that there is already the opportunity for young people as part of their bail conditions to remain connected to school settings. The introduction of electronic monitoring is absolutely consistent with that practice of keeping young people supervised and connected back into family, community and education settings. So there is no new policy. The introduction of electronic monitoring provides the youth justice system with another tool to monitor young offenders to ensure they are complying with their bail settings, and, where relevant, those bail settings include connection to an education environment.

Brad BATTIN (Berwick – Leader of the Opposition) (14:06): Can the Premier explain why the government is currently advertising positions for youth case officers for the purpose of putting high-risk young offenders in schools – a policy that the Deputy Premier, who is the education minister, described as wrong on so many levels?

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:06): The engagement of public servants to support the introduction of electronic monitoring that may include keeping young people connected to a school setting is consistent with this quote:

Going to Parkville College at Cherry Creek is not a positive outcome; getting them into a school in the community where they can gain skilled employment and they can gain the skills they need for the long term is a positive outcome …

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, the Premier is debating the question. It is a very narrow question: why are these jobs being advertised for a role that is wrong on so many levels, as described by the Deputy Premier?

The SPEAKER: I remind the Manager of Opposition Business not to repeat the question in her points of order.

Mary-Anne Thomas: On the point of order, Speaker, just because the Manager of Opposition Business does not like the answer to a question does not mean that the Premier is debating the question. I ask that you rule the point of order out of order.

The SPEAKER: The Premier was not debating the question.

Jacinta ALLAN: Of course I was referring to comments made by the Leader of the Opposition, as the member for Berwick, in this place, when he was advocating for exactly –

Members interjecting.

Jacinta ALLAN: This is classic form from the Leader of the Opposition, saying one thing in this place and another thing outside of this place.

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, question time is not a time to attack the opposition. I would ask you to ask the Premier to come back to the question.

Mary-Anne Thomas: Speaker, there is no point of order. It is entirely appropriate for the Premier to compare and contrast the actions of this government with those of the Leader of the Opposition, who says one thing in this place and another when he is out in the community.

The SPEAKER: I remind the Premier not to attack the opposition. The Premier has concluded her answer.