Wednesday, 5 March 2025

Youth crime

David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (12:28): (834) My question is to the Minister for Youth Justice. Minister, I refer to the youth justice section in the report on government services released in January. This reports that the average number of daily youth offenders in detention was only 54 and that the average number of daily youth offenders on community-based supervision was only 216 – a grand total of 268 offenders. These figures translate to 4.1 youth offenders per 10,000 young people – the lowest nationally – with all other jurisdictions having rates per 10,000 young people in double digits. I therefore ask: Minister, does the low number and percentage of those in detention lead to more convicted criminals roaming free, with the consequence of those offenders committing various unsatisfactory acts while in the community?

Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice) (12:29): I thank Mr Davis for that interesting question and his reference to the report on government services. I think, Mr Davis, you may have a bit of older data, because there was a new –

David Davis interjected.

Enver ERDOGAN: January, yes. What I will say is that we are focused on ensuring that, as a government, community safety is at the heart of all our justice reforms and all our justice efforts. In relation to the amount of people in custody, I think I have been pretty clear on this a number of times in relation to other questions you have asked, Mr Davis, and even one last month, that as the Minister for Youth Justice or in adult corrections I do not necessarily determine who comes into our system. It is probably a question better addressed to the Attorney-General, to be frank, as she is the first law officer. If you are unhappy with sentencing or other matters, like the bail laws, they are probably better addressed to the Attorney-General.

What I will say is thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk about the report on government services, because what we have seen is, for instance, a 17 percentage point decrease in people that come into youth justice and reoffend. So we are on the right –

David Davis: On a point of order, President, I have asked a very specific question about part of the report on government services. The minister is not entitled to answer an entirely different section of the report on government services. He can answer in his area that he is responsible for – that is released on 30 January.

The PRESIDENT: I believe the minister did indicate his responsibility and where other responsibilities may lie. Now he is adding context to that part of the preamble.

Enver ERDOGAN: Insofar as the question relates to my portfolio areas, we are committed to investing in our youth justice system to keep the community safe and give these young people the opportunity to turn their behaviour around, because when they are back out in the community we do not want them reoffending. I was pleased by the most recent report on government services, which shows that reoffending rates have gone down for those that enter our youth justice system. We do have the lowest incarceration rate. We have the lowest incarceration rate of Aboriginal young people, for example. I think that is something we should be proud of. That is the effort in closing the gap. That is the outcome of an Aboriginal justice agreement over 20 years of this government. We will continue to do that work. In relation to policies or laws around sentencing and about who enters the youth justice system, I think that is a question better addressed to the Attorney-General.

David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (12:32): Just for the minister’s edification, it is table 17A.1, so he can go and look it up later. Minister, the total recurrent expenditure on youth justice services increased from $151.8 million in 2014–15 to $347.2 million in 2023–24, funding that has more than doubled while youth crime has increased and is out of control. Victorians are paying for youth detention beds that are empty – utilisation rates are the lowest since 2014–15 at 36.7 per cent. I ask therefore: Minister, is it government policy to keep youth detention beds empty whilst an epidemic of home invasions and violent crime is committed across the state by youth offenders roaming free?

The PRESIDENT: I am trying to work out how that supplementary is relevant to the substantive question.

Members interjecting.

The PRESIDENT: I was just thinking out loud, but I will call the minister.

Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice) (12:33): As I said in my substantive, I make no apologies for investing in keeping our community safe. The report on government services also, Mr Davis, because you pointed to a specific section –

A member interjected.

Enver ERDOGAN: I will take that interjection as well. Some of the figures are not directly comparable to other jurisdictions. For example, jurisdictions can treat the cost of health care differently. In our system it is incorporated into the youth justice cost. Also we know at the moment that in some jurisdictions young people are being kept in police watch houses, which is not factored into the cost of youth justice. I am proud of where our youth justice system is at in terms of our custodial facilities. The investments we have made in Cherry Creek and Parkville have modernised those facilities. We have supported our workforce, we have supported upgrades to the infrastructure. We will continue to do that work. But if you look at it on a per capita basis, we in fact spend less on youth justice than they do in other jurisdictions.