NSW government to spend $500m on criminal system as remand custodies skyrocket
Half-a-billion dollars will be splashed on NSW's beleaguered criminal justice system after tough new domestic violence bail laws resulted in a record number of people locked up on remand.
The funding will include an additional $227m as part of the 2025-26 budget over five years for the Victims' Support Service, including strict monitoring for high-risk DV offenders as well as $50m for a victim-survivor hub.
Sydney's main criminal courts, the Downing Centre and John Madison Tower in the CBD, will also be refurbished and upgraded as part of the package, including at least 15 new courtrooms to be located somewhere in the CBD.
Premier Chris Minns said the package, which was announced on Monday, meant well-needed funding would go to making NSW safer and better protecting victim-survivors.
'We will deliver new courtrooms and a unique new hub allowing vulnerable victim-survivors to testify from a different location than their perpetrator. This hub will make a major difference, especially for women and children.'
Attorney-General Michael Daley said the courtroom upgrades and victim-survivor services were 'crucial to reduce courtroom trauma for child complainants and witnesses in sexual abuse cases' and increasing court capacity.
'The Government is also beefing up resources to support industrial manslaughter prosecutions to deter unsafe work practices.
'These investments ensure we are continuing to prioritise community safety and access to justice through the efficient operation of our court system.'
Slated to be opened in 2027, the 'vulnerable persons court hub' will allow witnesses to give evidence remotely via a video link, including in DV and family violence matters, reducing the trauma of being in the court complex.
The hub joins more than $34m in funding for upgrades to the Downing Centre courthouse and the adjoining John Madison Tower, or JMT, including at least five new courtrooms and at least 10 virtual courtrooms.
The NSW Office of Director of Public Prosecution will also receive a further $48.3m to fund additional solicitors, as well as funding for staff working in child sexual offence cases and to address demand on corrections services.
The state government will spend an additional $100.5m on the state's correction system in light of new DV bail laws that resulted in a record spike of alleged offenders being behind bars on remand awaiting trial or sentence.
At least half of the funding will go to frontline domestic, family, and sexual violence services, including almost $10m for the implementation of the strict new Serious Domestic Abuse Prevention Orders for offenders.
Other measures include five-year contracts for domestic and family violence support services, funding for a new common approach to offender risk assessments – a factor in sentencing – and a new DV and family violence workforce strategy.
It comes amid the passage of controversial youth bail laws in NSW which divided members of the Labor caucus, and as crime in regional communities continues to make headlines, including violence and theft offences.
Domestic Violence NSW CEO Delia Donovan welcomed the government's announcement on Monday, stating that victim-survivors in the state were currently waiting up to two months for support from state services.
Nonetheless, Ms Donovan said more was needed.
'We believe much of this represents the continuation of existing state and federal funding – not new investment,' she said.
'This is not enough. Victim-survivors deserve more than business as usual.
'Yes, we welcome the fulfilment of longer-term reforms such as five-year contracts, workforce development strategy implementation, and new data strategies.
'But they don't address the reality that existing services are stretched to breaking point – operating on outdated funding models that don't come close to covering today's costs.'
Ms Donovan urged the state government to 'listen – really listen – to the voices of victim-survivors, and the frontline workers' and to adequately support services.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
34 minutes ago
- ABC News
Prescription drug overdoses driving death toll
Isabella Higgins: In just one year, more than 2,000 Australians died of a drug overdose. Most were unintentional deaths. That's the stark headline figure of new analysis being released this week looking into drug-induced deaths. And advocates say illegal drugs aren't the only problem. Here's National Health Equity reporter, Caitlyn Gribbin. Caitlyn Gribbin: There's a stereotype about drug-related deaths that John Ryan wants to put a stop to. John Ryan : That idea that it's only illegal drugs is wrong. The overdose toll is actually made up of some people that inject drugs, definitely, but much of the overdose toll is people that are using pharmaceutical drugs, prescription drugs. Caitlyn Gribbin: John Ryan's the chief executive of the Penington Institute, a not-for-profit drug research group. It's released new research revealing 189 fatal overdoses every four weeks. Proof, Mr Ryan insists, that a new approach is needed to deal with dangerous drug use. John Ryan : We're losing the equivalent of a Boeing 737 full of Australians every month. The overdose toll has long exceeded the road toll. Caitlyn Gribbin: Early analysis of the report breaks down the most recent Australian Bureau of Statistics data on drug-induced deaths, which is from 2023. Overdose deaths were down 6% on the previous year, but John Ryan says figures will increase when ABS data revisions come in. The numbers are confronting, with nearly 2,300 people dying of a drug overdose. More than three-quarters were unintentional deaths. Opioids such as heroin and pharmaceutical opioids remain the most common drug type involved in unintentional deaths, contributing to almost half. But the proportion of drug-related fatalities involving stimulants such as methamphetamine and also cocaine increased on previous years. Amanda Roxburgh : Australia is a major destination for methamphetamine. We've got high numbers of large seizures being detected at our borders. Caitlyn Gribbin: Amanda Roxburgh, a senior research fellow and clinical psychologist at medical research organisation the Burnet Institute, says the highly potent crystal methamphetamine is the predominant stimulant drug now being used in Australia. Amanda Roxburgh : We're not only seeing increases in deaths related to methamphetamine, but we're also seeing increases in methamphetamine-related hospitalisations. So it's relatively cheap to buy and it's really readily available. Caitlyn Gribbin: The Penington analysis also found drug-induced deaths involving stimulants overtook benzodiazepines like Valium as the second most common drug type involved in fatal overdoses. Most drug overdoses are polysubstance overdoses. They involve more than one drug. John Ryan says pharmaceutical opioids such as codeine and oxycodone and those from the benzodiazepine family such as diazepam or Valium are commonly involved in overdose deaths. John Ryan : The daughter of a friend of mine who went through a messy divorce ended up on benzodiazepines to manage the stress and anxiety and one night drank a bit more red wine than normal, fell asleep on the couch and was found dead the next day. An absolutely tragic example of a middle-aged woman with two young children who died from a combination of prescribed pharmaceuticals and alcohol. Most of these deaths are occurring in private homes and often it's lounge rooms in suburbia and regional and rural towns. Caitlyn Gribbin: Mr Ryan says only a small amount of funding goes to harm reduction such as overdose education, the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone, drug testing and safe injecting facilities. A much bigger share goes to law enforcement. The full overdose report will be out this year. Isabella Higgins: Caitlin Gribbin reporting. In a statement the Federal Department of Health says the National Drug Strategy provides a commitment to harm minimisation through a balanced adoption of evidence-based demand, supply and harm reduction strategies.
News.com.au
36 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Soy milk and rice cakes banned from SA Government ads in new ‘junk food' crackdown
The South Australian Government has come under fire after officially banning advertisements for fortified soy milk and rice cakes on public transport, labelling the household staples as 'junk food'. The policy, which came into effect today, prevents a wide range of food and drink products from being advertised on state-owned assets. While intended as a public health initiative, the inclusion of products often seen as healthy alternatives, such as soy milk and rice cakes, and even ham salad sandwiches has triggered widespread confusion. Fortified soy milk is a plant-based beverage made from soybeans that has been enriched with essential nutrients, such as calcium, vitamin B12, and vitamin D. One of the country's most well-known fortified soy milk brands, So Good, has all its soy milk varieties rated five stars under the Health Star Rating system. Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) CEO Josh Faulks said the decision has left both industry and consumers baffled and called for a more science-based, objective framework. 'We fully support measures that encourage healthier choices, but the implementation of these policies must be based on credible, evidence-based criteria,' Mr Faulks said. 'The government has not been able to clearly articulate what is in and what is out of their banned list and has told businesses to submit their ads to an expert panel for assessment if they are unsure. 'This list should be science-based, objective and create certainty for business, not create more confusion.' He warned the policy could backfire by sending 'a contradictory message to consumers' and undermining trust in health-based campaigns. 'The government is effectively discouraging people from consuming what are widely considered to be nutritious core foods,' he said. To address the growing uncertainty, the AANA has urged the South Australian Government to adopt the Nutrient Profiling Scoring Criteria developed by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), an independent federal agency that guides national food standards. The agency's criteria are already used to inform food labelling and health claims across all Australian states and territories. Mr Faulks also raised concerns about the policy's potential economic fallout. 'The oat and almond farmers in South Australia may be surprised to know that their government wants people to drink less oat and almond milk,' he said. 'The official policy objective is to drive down purchase and consumption of these products.'
News.com.au
42 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Man who alleges Kiama MP Gareth Ward sexually assaulted him approached media: court
A man who alleges Kiama MP Gareth Ward sexually abused him when he was a teenager approached media because he wanted to 'get the story out', a court has been told. The NSW independent MP was charged in March 2022 with three counts of assault with act of indecency, an alternative charge of common assault against an 18-year-old man at Meroo Meadow in 2013, and intercourse without consent against a 24-year-old man in Potts Point in 2015. He pleaded not guilty to all charges. Mr Ward sat in the docks at the Darlinghurst District Court on Tuesday as his criminal trial before Judge Kara Shead SC continued. The second complainant, a man, who had just turned 18 at the time of the alleged assault at Mr Ward's South Coast home in February 2013, finished giving evidence on Friday. His girlfriend, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the court on Tuesday that the man told her that Mr Ward had 'touched him inappropriately' and had 'put his hands down his pants'. 'He was very uncertain about how he should go about seeking help … he didn't know if he should contact police, he was worried about the extent to which that would lead to,' she said. 'He discussed talking to the media and keeping himself anonymous just to get some information out.' The woman said the complainant had reached out to a YouTube personality with his story. 'He wanted to get the story out to the media but he didn't necessarily want his name associated, but he wanted the information to get out because he was worried about other people,' she said. However, after discussing the matter with the YouTube personality, the man ultimately decided it was best to go to the police, the woman told the court. 'I remember saying that he would have a better opportunity with the police given they have resources and that if other people had experienced something similar that they could get help as well,' she said. The court was earlier told how Mr Ward had met the alleged victim three months prior to the alleged assault and they became friends. On the night in question, the complainant had been at a party in the Shoalhaven area before leaving and getting in contact with Mr Ward, who invited him over to his Meroo Meadow home and offered to pay for his taxi ride. The court was told the then-18-year-old and Mr Ward continued drinking together at his home before the teen went outside and laid on the grass, pretending he had passed out as a 'prank'. The man alleged Mr Ward was trying to get his attention and put both hands on him, then without warning put his hand down his pants and touched his buttocks. He told the court he 'froze' and alleged he remembered Mr Ward's 'heavy breathing' as the politician moved his hand to the then teenager's genital area. The man said he then told Mr Ward that he wanted to go to sleep and the pair went back inside, with the politician allegedly telling him that he should not sleep alone. Mr Ward allegedly directed the man towards the MP's bedroom, where the man laid face down on the bed. The alleged victim told the court that Mr Ward 'mounted' him and sat on his buttocks, then started to massage his back. The man told the court the massage eventually ended and they went to sleep. The man said he and Mr Ward maintained contact on a 'social level' before the alleged acts were reported to police in November 2020. It is also alleged Mr Ward sexually assaulted another man – who was 24 years old at the time – at his Potts Point apartment in September 2015. Beginning his political career in 2011, Mr Ward was a councillor on the Shoalhaven Council before becoming the Liberal member for Kiama in 2011, a seat he has held since. The trial before a 15-person jury continues.
