Tuesday, 12 November 2024

Youth crime

David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (12:38): (731) My question is to the Minister for Youth Justice. Minister, for too long the Allan Labor government refused to act on Victoria’s youth crime crisis, despite crime by young offenders increasing by nearly 30 per cent – 28.9 per cent, actually – since Labor was first elected in 2014 and soaring by 20 per cent over the past year alone. Your government held a crisis meeting with stakeholders on the youth crime crisis. Can you update the house on the outcomes of this engagement?

Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice, Minister for Victim Support) (12:39): I thank Mr Davis for his question and his interest in our youth justice system. I will note that in terms of –

Jaclyn Symes interjected.

Enver ERDOGAN: Yes, I was about to say that. I will take that interjection by the Attorney. But I think we have been very clear as a government that we are focused on community safety, and that is why we introduced the Youth Justice Act 2024, and everyone had an opportunity to debate it in this chamber for a number of hours. That bill at its heart was focused on improving community safety outcomes and holding young people to account who do offend but also providing a better pathway for their recovery and rehabilitation – more so by addressing their underlying behaviours – and understanding that young offenders that make contact with the criminal justice system will at some stage, if they end up in a custodial setting, be out in the community, understanding their young age. That is what we are focusing on. But before young people come into contact or end up in custody we are focused on early intervention and diversion, and we are doing that work.

For the vast majority, Mr Davis, of young people that come into contact with the criminal justice system early intervention and diversion works – that works for the majority of young people – and we do not hear many of those stories. But for the young people where intervention may not work we obviously focus on addressing their behaviour, and that means through programs. Whilst they are in custody at our new youth justice facility at Cherry Creek our intensive interventions are addressing their health needs, understanding that for many of the young people in our system the first time they get this kind of primary or specialist care is in our facilities.

We are also supporting our police. No government has invested more in Victoria Police than this government. We have more police, and I want to take this opportunity –

David Davis: On a point of order, President, whilst my question had some figures and background in it, it was a very specific question about the meeting with stakeholders. He has actually not mentioned the specific meeting at all. He has talked in general, but he has not talked about the meeting with the stakeholders, and therefore I ask you to bring him back to the question.

The PRESIDENT: I think the minister was being relevant to the question.

Enver ERDOGAN: I thank Mr Davis. In relation to meetings, as the Minister for Youth Justice and Minister for Corrections I have meetings all the time with commissioners for youth justice. Obviously as part of our announcement about our improvements to the youth justice system, the most comprehensive reforms in three decades, we are establishing COBRA, the Council on Bail, Rehabilitation and Accountability. That brings together experts from across the field, so we are bringing together people in youth justice but also people that work with families and people that work with police and that understand the operations of the system to make improvements to young people’s lives but also to keep the community safe. That is the ultimate focus of these reforms. These reforms have a number of measures that hold young people to account but also provide a better pathway to address the underlying behaviour, understanding that young people that come into the system –

Georgie Crozier interjected.

Enver ERDOGAN: In relation to those interjections, Ms Crozier, like I said, we are holding young people to account. The majority of young people are being diverted. They are engaged in early intervention programs, but as a government we will focus on making a difference to the lives of these young people, addressing their behaviour when they are with us in custodial settings, because that not only keeps them safe but keeps the community safe in the long term. There is always a balance with youth justice reforms, and I feel like our Youth Justice Act is the opportunity to break that cycle.

David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (12:43): There seems to be a reluctance to engage with their own crime crisis meeting, and I –

Members interjecting.

David DAVIS: Well, go and read the press clips on it. Go and read them. There was a crime crisis meeting. He does not think it is a crisis, so there we are. Anyway, I am being distracted here. At the meeting there was limited opportunity for victims to be heard. In the various meetings was there any discussion of the impact of weakening Victoria’s bail laws, which is seeing more violent offenders back on the streets and committing more violent crimes?

Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice, Minister for Victim Support) (12:43): Thank you, Mr Davis, for your supplementary question. I am also the Minister for Victim Support. Obviously you have asked a question in relation to my role as Minister for Youth Justice. We understand the concerns of the community, and that is why we have acted – we listen and we act on them. That is what the Youth Justice Act is about. It is about making sure that every Victorian has the right to not only feel safe but be safe. We make sure that people are safer if we can address the underlying behaviour of these young people.

And there are tougher consequences. We are fast-tracking core processes; the Attorney-General can talk all about that. We have given police greater powers to crack down on knives. We have also strengthened the bail test and revocation. I want to thank the staff in our youth justice system that are focused on making sure that young people comply with their bail orders. We are focused, and we are getting on with the job. We have made these reforms, and they are being implemented as we speak.