Tuesday, 7 February 2023

Ministers statements: youth justice system

Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice, Minister for Victim Support) (13:57): I rise to update the chamber on the recent release of the Productivity Commission’s 2023 Report on Government Services for youth justice. The Report on Government Services provides information on equity, effectiveness and efficiency of government services across Australia, and it shows that when it comes to youth justice Victoria is leading the way and our investments are paying dividends.

The report confirms that Victoria had the lowest rate in the country of young people under youth justice supervision in 2021–22. The average number of young people aged 10 to 17 in custody is down by more than 30 per cent over the past six years. The rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people in custody has more than halved in the past six years from 20.5 per 10,000 in 2016–17 to just 9.5 per 10,000 young people in 2020–21. Although this is still very high, it is well below the national average.

Victoria also has one of the lowest rates of reoffending. Our focus on diverting children and young people away from the criminal justice system is already getting results, with fewer young people offending in Victoria and fewer young people entering the system, because this government knows that helping young people in trouble to turn their lives around does not just help them but makes Victoria a safer and fairer place to live.

The Productivity Commission’s Report on Government Services as it relates to the corrections system also shows that Victoria’s prison population decreased by 5.2 per cent in the last financial year compared to an average decrease of 2.2 per cent across the nation. Victoria has the second lowest rate of Indigenous incarceration after a substantial 7.8 per cent decrease in the last financial year. The reoffending rates also fell, both for return to prison and for community corrections orders.

The report also highlights Victoria’s strong investments in rehabilitation programs and services for prisoners, which are reflected in Victoria’s lower than average recidivism rate. Our investments in rehabilitation and transitional support programs during the custodial sentence and post the release date are working to break the cycle of offending and making Victoria safer for all Victorians.