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SBS Australia
6 days ago
- Politics
- SBS Australia
ACT chooses 'care over cruelty' by raising the age of criminal responsibility to 14
In a historic move, the Australian Capital Territory has become the first jurisdiction in the country to raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 14 – a significant reform celebrated by legal advocates, health experts and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders. From July 1, children under 14 in the ACT can no longer be charged, prosecuted, or imprisoned under the criminal legal system, except for a limited number of excluded offences. The change comes as part of a two-stage reform passed in 2023, which first raised the age from 10 to 12 and now to 14. The Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT) welcomed the milestone, commending the ACT Government for a decision grounded in research and community wellbeing. 'This reform will keep more children where they belong: in their homes, communities, schools, playgrounds and sports fields, supported to thrive rather than being dragged through court and languishing in youth prisons,' ALS chief executive Karly Warner said. 'Evidence shows the younger a child is at first contact with the legal system, the more likely they are to keep coming back into contact with police and courts and to experience adult imprisonment. "That's why raising the age of legal responsibility to 14 is a commonsense move not only for children but for all members of our communities.' While praising the ACT's leadership, Ms Warner urged further reform, calling for the removal of exceptions that still allow children to be criminalised under certain circumstances. The change follows decades of sustained advocacy from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, health professionals and legal experts, who have long highlighted the harms of early criminalisation, particularly for Indigenous children, who remain disproportionately affected by the system. A call for national action Advocacy organisations, including Change the Record, the Justice and Equity Centre and the Human Rights Law Centre, also welcomed the reform, and called on all other jurisdictions to follow suit without delay. 'Every child deserves to grow with connection, not be locked up in prison cells,' Jade Lane, Change the Record chief executive, said. 'The ACT reforms are a crucial step toward choosing care over cruelty, especially for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, who are disproportionately targeted by police and the so-called justice system.' Ms Lane urged other jurisdictions to end harmful, punitive youth justice practices and invest instead in community-led solutions that support young people. 'This change in the ACT signals a well-overdue time to invest in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children to thrive, not trap them in cycles of criminalisation,' she said. Maggie Munn, First Nations director at the Human Rights Law Centre, said the reform sets a precedent for the rest of the nation. 'Our kids deserve to thrive, not be caged in police watch houses and prison cells. This is a positive step forward which means that more children in the ACT will be cared for, rather than pipelined into prison,' Munn said. 'We call on every state and territory government to do the right thing for kids and communities, and raise the age of criminal responsibility to at least 14, with no exceptions.' Chief executive of the Justice and Equity Centre Jonathon Hunyor told NITV that locking up children cruels their chances and takes them away from positive influences. "What we do is place kids in a situation where they build criminal capital – they go to the university of crime," he said. "They get taught that they're criminals and told that they're criminals – and that's exactly what we produce. "So it's very easy to talk tough and be all hairy-chested about being tough on crime, but the fact is, it's not working, it's never worked, and it's never going to work. "Unless we actually invest in kids, we invest in communities, we invest in solutions, we're just saying the same stuff over and over again." Australia still lagging behind international standards Despite the ACT's progress, Australia remains out of step with international human rights obligations. The United Nations has repeatedly called on Australia to raise the minimum age to 14 'without exception,' citing evidence that children aged 10 to 13 lack the developmental capacity to be held criminally responsible. Mr Hunyor said that raising the age is a catalyst for changing systems, taking the emphasis from criminalisation, from police and prisons, to where it can make a difference. "And that's intervening early, supporting children and families from a much younger age than even 10 so that problems that lead them to commit criminal offences don't materialise or, if they do, that kids can get back on the right track," he said. "So it's all the obvious stuff that we should be investing in community services, after school activities, mentoring for young people, mental health support and there's support for families. "We address things like homelessness and a lack of housing, disability supports that we need in our communities "They're all the things that we know are going to make a difference." Communities had a right to be angry that government is not investing in them and not investing in people's capacity to do better, Mr Hunyor said. "Instead, we park at the bottom of the cliff, we wait for kids to fall off, we chuck them in the paddy wagon, and we drive them back up and let them out again, and the whole cycle starts again," he said. "It's just a ridiculous approach that we're taking. "And until more people look at the evidence like they are in the ACT, we're not going to get better outcomes." In NSW, Queensland, and South Australia, the age of criminal responsibility remains at 10. The former Northern Territory Labor government raised the age to 12 but when the Country Liberal Party swept to power in August last year, one of the first act's of Lia Finocchiaro's new government was to lower it back to 10. Victoria has also kept the age at 10, and while that state has passed legislation to raise it to 12; the change has not yet been implemented and also includes new police powers targeting children as young as 10 and breaks a promise from former Premier Dan Andrews to raise the age to 14 by 2027. Tasmania has committed to raising the age to 14 by 2029, while in Western Australia, the government has voted to raise the age to 14, but implementation is still pending. 'Kids deserve a childhood free from cages and isolation,' Ms Lane said. 'It's time the rest of the country caught up.'
The Advertiser
30-06-2025
- The Advertiser
'Animals treated better' than Indigenous teen: family
Zoo animals are treated better than an Indigenous teenager held in a cell for 22 hours a day in a troubled wing of an adult prison without water before he fatally self-harmed, his outraged family says. Cleveland Dodd was found unresponsive inside a cell in Unit 18, a youth wing of the high-security Casuarina Prison facility for adults in Perth, in the early hours of October 12, 2023. The 16-year-old was taken to hospital in a critical condition and died a week later, causing outrage and grief in the community. A lawyer for Cleveland's mother Nadene Dodd was scathing of the care provided to the teenager by justice department staff, as he gave submissions to the Western Australian Coroners Court on Monday. "Cleveland was subjected to institutional abuse, cruel and inhumane treatment," Steven Penglis told the inquest. The teen spent more than 22 hours a day in his cell for 74 of the 86 days he was detained in Unit 18 before he self-harmed, he said. Over that period, he had four hours of recreation time, equating to about three minutes a day. His cell had no running water and in the hours before he was fatally injured he asked for water six times, Mr Penglis said as he recapped evidence heard during the inquest that started in April 2024. Cleveland's grandmother Roslyn Sullivan said animals were treated better than her son was as a Unit 18 detainee. "You get treated more better if you're in the zoo," she said outside court. "No running water, no tap to wash his hands, no tap to wash his body. "That place shouldn't have even been there." Cleveland threatened to self-harm eight times and requested medical attention. The teen's actions were the conclusion of a series of events, including being denied bail, a failed attempt to call his mother on her birthday and severe, untreated dental issues, Mr Penglis said. "Cleveland's death was preventable and predictable," he said. Nadene Dodd described her son's treatment as "horrific neglect" and inhumane. "It was both barbarous and criminal," she said outside the court. "If people are not held to lawful account, then justice will have been denied." Aboriginal Legal Service lawyer Julian McMahon said the inquest revealed there was a readiness across all levels of the justice department to accept the unacceptable. "What happened at Unit 18 was horrific," he said in his submissions. There was an "epidemic of self-harm" among a cohort of mostly Aboriginal children, he said. "By self-harm, I mean attempted suicide," Mr McMahon said. There had been at least 17 self-harm threats in the 24 hours before Cleveland fatally injured himself, he said. Lawyers for senior justice department staff said their clients shouldn't be subject to adverse findings, including former director general Adam Tomison. How the facility was run wasn't his responsibility and Corrective Services staff should have followed policy, lawyer Jerome Allan said Dr Tomison previously agreed children had been subject to appalling, cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment in Unit 18 under his watch. The justice department apologised to Cleveland's family and said there were many issues in Unit 18 in 2023, including damaged infrastructure, excessive detainee confinement and staff shortages. On the night Cleveland self-harmed, he was not properly supervised and should have been given more water, lawyer Tim Russell said. "More should have been done," he said. But the department did not accept Unit 18 was unfit for youth detainees. The inquest previously heard Cleveland self-harmed about 1.35am and paramedics arrived at 2.06am, but did not get access to him for nine minutes. Cleveland died, surrounded by his family, on October 19, 2023. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 Zoo animals are treated better than an Indigenous teenager held in a cell for 22 hours a day in a troubled wing of an adult prison without water before he fatally self-harmed, his outraged family says. Cleveland Dodd was found unresponsive inside a cell in Unit 18, a youth wing of the high-security Casuarina Prison facility for adults in Perth, in the early hours of October 12, 2023. The 16-year-old was taken to hospital in a critical condition and died a week later, causing outrage and grief in the community. A lawyer for Cleveland's mother Nadene Dodd was scathing of the care provided to the teenager by justice department staff, as he gave submissions to the Western Australian Coroners Court on Monday. "Cleveland was subjected to institutional abuse, cruel and inhumane treatment," Steven Penglis told the inquest. The teen spent more than 22 hours a day in his cell for 74 of the 86 days he was detained in Unit 18 before he self-harmed, he said. Over that period, he had four hours of recreation time, equating to about three minutes a day. His cell had no running water and in the hours before he was fatally injured he asked for water six times, Mr Penglis said as he recapped evidence heard during the inquest that started in April 2024. Cleveland's grandmother Roslyn Sullivan said animals were treated better than her son was as a Unit 18 detainee. "You get treated more better if you're in the zoo," she said outside court. "No running water, no tap to wash his hands, no tap to wash his body. "That place shouldn't have even been there." Cleveland threatened to self-harm eight times and requested medical attention. The teen's actions were the conclusion of a series of events, including being denied bail, a failed attempt to call his mother on her birthday and severe, untreated dental issues, Mr Penglis said. "Cleveland's death was preventable and predictable," he said. Nadene Dodd described her son's treatment as "horrific neglect" and inhumane. "It was both barbarous and criminal," she said outside the court. "If people are not held to lawful account, then justice will have been denied." Aboriginal Legal Service lawyer Julian McMahon said the inquest revealed there was a readiness across all levels of the justice department to accept the unacceptable. "What happened at Unit 18 was horrific," he said in his submissions. There was an "epidemic of self-harm" among a cohort of mostly Aboriginal children, he said. "By self-harm, I mean attempted suicide," Mr McMahon said. There had been at least 17 self-harm threats in the 24 hours before Cleveland fatally injured himself, he said. Lawyers for senior justice department staff said their clients shouldn't be subject to adverse findings, including former director general Adam Tomison. How the facility was run wasn't his responsibility and Corrective Services staff should have followed policy, lawyer Jerome Allan said Dr Tomison previously agreed children had been subject to appalling, cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment in Unit 18 under his watch. The justice department apologised to Cleveland's family and said there were many issues in Unit 18 in 2023, including damaged infrastructure, excessive detainee confinement and staff shortages. On the night Cleveland self-harmed, he was not properly supervised and should have been given more water, lawyer Tim Russell said. "More should have been done," he said. But the department did not accept Unit 18 was unfit for youth detainees. The inquest previously heard Cleveland self-harmed about 1.35am and paramedics arrived at 2.06am, but did not get access to him for nine minutes. Cleveland died, surrounded by his family, on October 19, 2023. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 Zoo animals are treated better than an Indigenous teenager held in a cell for 22 hours a day in a troubled wing of an adult prison without water before he fatally self-harmed, his outraged family says. Cleveland Dodd was found unresponsive inside a cell in Unit 18, a youth wing of the high-security Casuarina Prison facility for adults in Perth, in the early hours of October 12, 2023. The 16-year-old was taken to hospital in a critical condition and died a week later, causing outrage and grief in the community. A lawyer for Cleveland's mother Nadene Dodd was scathing of the care provided to the teenager by justice department staff, as he gave submissions to the Western Australian Coroners Court on Monday. "Cleveland was subjected to institutional abuse, cruel and inhumane treatment," Steven Penglis told the inquest. The teen spent more than 22 hours a day in his cell for 74 of the 86 days he was detained in Unit 18 before he self-harmed, he said. Over that period, he had four hours of recreation time, equating to about three minutes a day. His cell had no running water and in the hours before he was fatally injured he asked for water six times, Mr Penglis said as he recapped evidence heard during the inquest that started in April 2024. Cleveland's grandmother Roslyn Sullivan said animals were treated better than her son was as a Unit 18 detainee. "You get treated more better if you're in the zoo," she said outside court. "No running water, no tap to wash his hands, no tap to wash his body. "That place shouldn't have even been there." Cleveland threatened to self-harm eight times and requested medical attention. The teen's actions were the conclusion of a series of events, including being denied bail, a failed attempt to call his mother on her birthday and severe, untreated dental issues, Mr Penglis said. "Cleveland's death was preventable and predictable," he said. Nadene Dodd described her son's treatment as "horrific neglect" and inhumane. "It was both barbarous and criminal," she said outside the court. "If people are not held to lawful account, then justice will have been denied." Aboriginal Legal Service lawyer Julian McMahon said the inquest revealed there was a readiness across all levels of the justice department to accept the unacceptable. "What happened at Unit 18 was horrific," he said in his submissions. There was an "epidemic of self-harm" among a cohort of mostly Aboriginal children, he said. "By self-harm, I mean attempted suicide," Mr McMahon said. There had been at least 17 self-harm threats in the 24 hours before Cleveland fatally injured himself, he said. Lawyers for senior justice department staff said their clients shouldn't be subject to adverse findings, including former director general Adam Tomison. How the facility was run wasn't his responsibility and Corrective Services staff should have followed policy, lawyer Jerome Allan said Dr Tomison previously agreed children had been subject to appalling, cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment in Unit 18 under his watch. The justice department apologised to Cleveland's family and said there were many issues in Unit 18 in 2023, including damaged infrastructure, excessive detainee confinement and staff shortages. On the night Cleveland self-harmed, he was not properly supervised and should have been given more water, lawyer Tim Russell said. "More should have been done," he said. But the department did not accept Unit 18 was unfit for youth detainees. The inquest previously heard Cleveland self-harmed about 1.35am and paramedics arrived at 2.06am, but did not get access to him for nine minutes. Cleveland died, surrounded by his family, on October 19, 2023. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 Zoo animals are treated better than an Indigenous teenager held in a cell for 22 hours a day in a troubled wing of an adult prison without water before he fatally self-harmed, his outraged family says. Cleveland Dodd was found unresponsive inside a cell in Unit 18, a youth wing of the high-security Casuarina Prison facility for adults in Perth, in the early hours of October 12, 2023. The 16-year-old was taken to hospital in a critical condition and died a week later, causing outrage and grief in the community. A lawyer for Cleveland's mother Nadene Dodd was scathing of the care provided to the teenager by justice department staff, as he gave submissions to the Western Australian Coroners Court on Monday. "Cleveland was subjected to institutional abuse, cruel and inhumane treatment," Steven Penglis told the inquest. The teen spent more than 22 hours a day in his cell for 74 of the 86 days he was detained in Unit 18 before he self-harmed, he said. Over that period, he had four hours of recreation time, equating to about three minutes a day. His cell had no running water and in the hours before he was fatally injured he asked for water six times, Mr Penglis said as he recapped evidence heard during the inquest that started in April 2024. Cleveland's grandmother Roslyn Sullivan said animals were treated better than her son was as a Unit 18 detainee. "You get treated more better if you're in the zoo," she said outside court. "No running water, no tap to wash his hands, no tap to wash his body. "That place shouldn't have even been there." Cleveland threatened to self-harm eight times and requested medical attention. The teen's actions were the conclusion of a series of events, including being denied bail, a failed attempt to call his mother on her birthday and severe, untreated dental issues, Mr Penglis said. "Cleveland's death was preventable and predictable," he said. Nadene Dodd described her son's treatment as "horrific neglect" and inhumane. "It was both barbarous and criminal," she said outside the court. "If people are not held to lawful account, then justice will have been denied." Aboriginal Legal Service lawyer Julian McMahon said the inquest revealed there was a readiness across all levels of the justice department to accept the unacceptable. "What happened at Unit 18 was horrific," he said in his submissions. There was an "epidemic of self-harm" among a cohort of mostly Aboriginal children, he said. "By self-harm, I mean attempted suicide," Mr McMahon said. There had been at least 17 self-harm threats in the 24 hours before Cleveland fatally injured himself, he said. Lawyers for senior justice department staff said their clients shouldn't be subject to adverse findings, including former director general Adam Tomison. How the facility was run wasn't his responsibility and Corrective Services staff should have followed policy, lawyer Jerome Allan said Dr Tomison previously agreed children had been subject to appalling, cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment in Unit 18 under his watch. The justice department apologised to Cleveland's family and said there were many issues in Unit 18 in 2023, including damaged infrastructure, excessive detainee confinement and staff shortages. On the night Cleveland self-harmed, he was not properly supervised and should have been given more water, lawyer Tim Russell said. "More should have been done," he said. But the department did not accept Unit 18 was unfit for youth detainees. The inquest previously heard Cleveland self-harmed about 1.35am and paramedics arrived at 2.06am, but did not get access to him for nine minutes. Cleveland died, surrounded by his family, on October 19, 2023. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636
Daily Mail
23-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
NSW Labor government commits $202million to help improve the lives of Aboriginal Australians and close the gap
The 2025/26 NSW Budget, to be handed down on Tuesday, will allocate $202million to Closing the Gap initiatives to help improve the lives of Aboriginal Australians. This investment will be delivered partnership with Aboriginal organisations and communities, to achieve more targeted and tangible outcomes for Aboriginal people across health, education, employment, criminal justice, and economic development. The funding includes $20million for Aboriginal-led, culturally safe programs that support Aboriginal adults and children leaving custody, aiming to reduce reoffending. It also includes $13.4 million for the NSW Aboriginal Legal Service and the Department of Communities and Justice to reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal children in the criminal justice system through Aboriginal-led solutions. An additional $17.9 million will support Aboriginal organisations, such as Local Aboriginal Land Councils, to acquire and activate land - such as through rezoning - to unlock economic opportunities. Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty David Harris said the Labor Government has maintained a strong focus on delivering real outcomes for Aboriginal people. 'Delivering on Closing the Gap and creating a more equitable state, where everyone has the opportunity to thrive, is not only the right thing to do; it builds a better NSW by strengthening our society, economy, culture and communities.' The budget will also allocate nearly $80 million to position NSW as the best place to innovate, attract investors, and scale businesses. NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey says his third budget declares the state is 'open for business' to help expand its $900 billion economy. 'There is a global race for capital ... and we want NSW at the front of that race.' The state has a world-leading workforce and offered businesses stability and connection to global industries, Mr Mookhey told reporters on Monday. 'What we want to add now is the confidence for businesses to get on and make the big calls to sign off on the $1 billion-plus investments that drive growth,' he said. Housing affordability would remain a major issue but supporting business confidence was a major factor to boost jobs and wages and address unaffordability, Mr Mookhey said. 'We're pretty determined to get the balance right,' he told AAP in the lead-up to the budget. 'There's a lot of opportunity and a lot of ambition in NSW, and the changes we're making are designed to hold on to what we love.' The government will duplicate efforts to speed up planning, with an Investment Delivery Authority to receive almost $18 million. Similar to the Housing Delivery Authority which started in December, the four-person panel will override councils and accelerate planning approvals for businesses amid complaints making major investments in NSW is too complex and time-consuming. Other funding announced on Monday includes $38.5 million for Australia's largest technology and innovation hub, Tech Central, and $20 million for emerging technology commercialisation to help boost growth in the housing and energy sectors. In 2024, NSW accounted for 65 per cent of Australia's venture capital investment, and hosts five out of eight 'unicorn' companies - privately-held start-ups valued at over $1 billion. Major projects to be considered by the new panel may include hotels, data centres, renewable energy projects and commercial developments. Too many major projects from the private sector were getting bogged down in red tape, Premier Chris Minns said. 'It's costing us high-paid, high-skilled jobs in our modern economy, and something has to change,' he told reporters on Monday from data centre operator NextDC's facility in Sydney's north. NextDC chief executive Craig Scroogie said the announcement would help the company move on its $15 billion investment pipeline. 'The planning system was never designed to move at the speed that technology is moving, let alone the speed that artificial intelligence is changing the way we live and work every day,' he told reporters. 'This is a global opportunity for Australia to be a leader in artificial intelligence and large-scale infrastructure, and it needs modern planning systems to be deployed.' NSW LABOR GOVERNMENT BUDGET PLEDGES TRANSPORT: * $452 million to increase bus services, including $56 million to buy 50 new 'bendy' buses and $150 million for more regular school bus services in outer Sydney and regional areas * Road upgrades and new signage around Western Sydney Airport precinct totalling $80 million EDUCATION: * $9 billion across four years for public school infrastructure, largely focused on growing suburban communities, including three new public primary schools with attached public preschools in west and southwest Sydney * $3.4 billion towards TAFE and upskilling, including $40 million to enable 23,000 construction students to complete their apprenticeships for free HEALTH: * Another $700 million towards construction of the $2 billion Bankstown Hospital and relocation of Bankstown TAFE * A statewide pathology hub to be established at Westmead, with the $492 million investment to include an upgrade to a high-security lab researching dangerous pathogens such as Ebola and measles * $23 million to cut down the overdue surgery list by 3500 * $83 million to bolster maternity care ABORIGINAL AFFAIRS: * $202 million for Closing the Gap projects, including $23 million towards community-led suicide prevention programs LAW AND ORDER: * $125.8 million for cybersecurity upgrades to NSW Police, including $50 million to upgrade outdated hardware * Victims' Support Service funding boosted by $227 million across five years to help victims of violent crime access counselling * Upgrade of Downing Centre to create 15 new physical and virtual courtrooms and $48.3 million to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for more solicitors HOUSING: * $145 million across four years for the state's Building Commission to hire more prosecutors, investigators and inspectors to weed out dodgy residential builds * $30.4 million crisis intervention package for homelessness services * Extension of build-to-rent tax concessions beyond slated 2039 end date INNOVATION AND BUSINESS: * $80 million in innovation funding, including $38.5 million to boost technology hub TechCentral * A four-person Investment Delivery Authority to fast-track planning approvals for billion-dollar projects ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC SPACES: * $110 million to maintain public spaces, including the repair of heritage-listed Pyrmont Bridge and maintenance of fire trails * Construction of the Newcastle Logistics Precinct, housing wind turbines and electrical transformers used in renewable energy projects, for $115.5 million * Commonwealth Veteran Card holders will receive free vehicle entry to all NSW National Parks CULTURE: * Establishment of a $100 million fund to find a suitable location for a second major film studio in Sydney * $280 million to support the screen and digital games sector, including rebates for NSW-based visual effects and digital games productions
SBS Australia
16-06-2025
- Politics
- SBS Australia
Queensland considering making public drunkenness a crime
Less than a year after laws decriminalising public drunkenness came into effect, the Queensland Government is considering making it a crime again - despite an outcry from First Nations, legal and human rights advocates. In September last year Queensland became the last state to decriminalise being drunk in public , more than 30 years after the move was recommended by the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. On Wednesday Liberal National Party Police Minister Dan Purdie, a former officer, said the Government was looking at introducing laws making public drunkenness and public urination offences again, saying their removal had "hamstrung police". But First Nations and human rights advocates say it's yet another move in the wrong direction for the Queensland Government, which has introduced a raft of 'tough on crime' measures since David Crisafulli's LNP swept to power in October last year. Greg Shadbolt, principal legal officer of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal service for Queensland, told NITV that there was "absolutely no basis in logic" to reintroduce laws criminalising public drunkenness. "If someone's intoxicated and does something untoward like turns up and kicks a rubbish bin, they can still be arrested, so it simply doesn't stand up to any form of scrutiny," he said. "There's no reason why being intoxicated without actually doing anything untoward of itself should be an offence." The National Network of Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls, said the proposal was a deeply irresponsible move and an attack on Aboriginal lives. Spokesperson Tabitha Lean, a Gunditjmara woman, said the National Network rejects the idea that the only way to respond to public drunkenness and public urination is through police and punishment. "Public health issues require public health responses, not criminal charges," she said. "This latest move shows once again that the lives and safety of Aboriginal people are expendable in the LNP's political playbook." Public drunkenness laws have long been used as a tool of racialised policing and criminalisation, disproportionately targeting Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islander people, Debbie Kilroy said, pointing out that was the reason the royal commission recommended scrapping them. NSW decriminalised public intoxication in 1979. A state parliamentary report looking at decriminalising offences affecting vulnerable people found a strong correlation between intoxication and higher risk a person will die in custody. "This is not about safety, it's about punishment, surveillance, and scapegoating," Ms Kilroy said. "We cannot forget the death of Yorta Yorta woman Aunty Tanya Day, who died in custody in 2017 after being arrested under public drunkenness laws, while asleep on a train (in Victoria). "Her death was entirely preventable – she should have been cared for, not criminalised. "Her family, like many others, have been tireless in their fight to abolish public drunkenness laws and demand dignity and care instead of police violence." Victoria decriminalised public drunkenness in November 2023, thanks to advocacy by Tanya Day's family and other members of the Aboriginal community. Queensland Human Rights Commissioner Scott McDougall told Guardian Australia that a move to re-introduce the laws would "represent another blow in a continuing assault on the rights of First Nations people in Queensland'. 'Police do not lack the powers to respond in the interests of community safety," he said. "The solution to these behaviours is a much greater investment in health and prevention. 'To reintroduce a public drunkenness offence would signal that the Queensland government has no interest in Closing the Gap or reducing deaths in custody.' On Tuesday LNP Townsville MP Adam Baillie told Parliament that public intoxication wasn't a new problem. "Under Labor public drunkenness and public urination laws were revoked, paving the way for the antisocial behaviour that has been plaguing our great city for years," he said. "It is only getting worse." Ms Kilroy called on the Queensland Government to implement the royal commission recommendations, including keeping public drunkenness decriminalised. "This is not just a policy decision, it is part of a broader 'law and order' blitz by the LNP, who continue to rely on carceral responses and fearmongering in the absence of any meaningful vision for the state," she said. "Rather than investing in housing, health care, or community-led responses to harm, the LNP are doubling down on the same racist, harmful strategies that have already cost too many lives."
The Advertiser
02-06-2025
- Business
- The Advertiser
Jails funded as DV services stretched to breaking point
Support services will get longer funding timelines to help more than a million domestic violence survivors as spending on jails and courts increases. More than half a billion dollars will go towards dealing with domestic violence to undo years of "neglect", with plans to better support victim-survivors and keep alleged abusers behind bars. Non-government support services will get more certainty around funding with five-year contracts promised, the NSW government said on Monday. Domestic Violence NSW chief executive Delia Donovan said that would improve service sustainability while other reforms were important building blocks. "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," she said. "Too often, domestic and family violence workers are tied to short-term contracts through pilots, and this creates a lot of uncertainty." Premier Chris Minns said his government was providing more funding than any predecessor but the budget was also stretched. "It may not be enough for advocates and they may be demanding more but we believe we're pushing the outer edges of what's possible at the moment," he told reporters. About half of the money is earmarked for a $227 million injection into the state's victims' support service across five years to help victim-survivors access counselling and financial assistance. Almost $50 million will be spent on making it easier for them to give evidence, with remote courtrooms alleviating the risk of attending the same court complex as their abuser. The funds will also provide counselling, legal aid and financial advice at a hub expected to open in late 2027. An estimated one-in-four women and one-in-eight men in Australia have experienced violence by an intimate partner or family member since the age of 15. Recent bail changes for alleged domestic violence offenders have coincided with more inmates on remand, pushing the state's prison population to near record highs. More than $100 million will go towards corrective services to help cope with the increase. Another change ensures bail decisions will be made by magistrates, following the high-profile April 2024 murder of Molly Ticehurst in Forbes, allegedly by her former boyfriend Daniel Billings, who was granted bail by a registrar about two weeks earlier. Ten virtual courtrooms are planned to support remote bail hearings and five new physical ones will be built in Sydney's city centre. NSW Law Society president Jennifer Ball also welcomed an almost $50 million boost to fund more public prosecutors. "But we will be examining the NSW budget ... to determine whether sufficient funding will also be allocated to Legal Aid NSW and Aboriginal Legal Service to meet the significant extra demand new prosecutors will have on the criminal justice system," she said. The budget announcements will lay the foundation for longer-term reforms, Domestic Violence Prevention Minister Jodie Harrison said. "This is work that previous governments have neglected for many years," she said. The state budget will be handed down on June 24. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14 Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491 Support services will get longer funding timelines to help more than a million domestic violence survivors as spending on jails and courts increases. More than half a billion dollars will go towards dealing with domestic violence to undo years of "neglect", with plans to better support victim-survivors and keep alleged abusers behind bars. Non-government support services will get more certainty around funding with five-year contracts promised, the NSW government said on Monday. Domestic Violence NSW chief executive Delia Donovan said that would improve service sustainability while other reforms were important building blocks. "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," she said. "Too often, domestic and family violence workers are tied to short-term contracts through pilots, and this creates a lot of uncertainty." Premier Chris Minns said his government was providing more funding than any predecessor but the budget was also stretched. "It may not be enough for advocates and they may be demanding more but we believe we're pushing the outer edges of what's possible at the moment," he told reporters. About half of the money is earmarked for a $227 million injection into the state's victims' support service across five years to help victim-survivors access counselling and financial assistance. Almost $50 million will be spent on making it easier for them to give evidence, with remote courtrooms alleviating the risk of attending the same court complex as their abuser. The funds will also provide counselling, legal aid and financial advice at a hub expected to open in late 2027. An estimated one-in-four women and one-in-eight men in Australia have experienced violence by an intimate partner or family member since the age of 15. Recent bail changes for alleged domestic violence offenders have coincided with more inmates on remand, pushing the state's prison population to near record highs. More than $100 million will go towards corrective services to help cope with the increase. Another change ensures bail decisions will be made by magistrates, following the high-profile April 2024 murder of Molly Ticehurst in Forbes, allegedly by her former boyfriend Daniel Billings, who was granted bail by a registrar about two weeks earlier. Ten virtual courtrooms are planned to support remote bail hearings and five new physical ones will be built in Sydney's city centre. NSW Law Society president Jennifer Ball also welcomed an almost $50 million boost to fund more public prosecutors. "But we will be examining the NSW budget ... to determine whether sufficient funding will also be allocated to Legal Aid NSW and Aboriginal Legal Service to meet the significant extra demand new prosecutors will have on the criminal justice system," she said. The budget announcements will lay the foundation for longer-term reforms, Domestic Violence Prevention Minister Jodie Harrison said. "This is work that previous governments have neglected for many years," she said. The state budget will be handed down on June 24. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14 Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491 Support services will get longer funding timelines to help more than a million domestic violence survivors as spending on jails and courts increases. More than half a billion dollars will go towards dealing with domestic violence to undo years of "neglect", with plans to better support victim-survivors and keep alleged abusers behind bars. Non-government support services will get more certainty around funding with five-year contracts promised, the NSW government said on Monday. Domestic Violence NSW chief executive Delia Donovan said that would improve service sustainability while other reforms were important building blocks. "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," she said. "Too often, domestic and family violence workers are tied to short-term contracts through pilots, and this creates a lot of uncertainty." Premier Chris Minns said his government was providing more funding than any predecessor but the budget was also stretched. "It may not be enough for advocates and they may be demanding more but we believe we're pushing the outer edges of what's possible at the moment," he told reporters. About half of the money is earmarked for a $227 million injection into the state's victims' support service across five years to help victim-survivors access counselling and financial assistance. Almost $50 million will be spent on making it easier for them to give evidence, with remote courtrooms alleviating the risk of attending the same court complex as their abuser. The funds will also provide counselling, legal aid and financial advice at a hub expected to open in late 2027. An estimated one-in-four women and one-in-eight men in Australia have experienced violence by an intimate partner or family member since the age of 15. Recent bail changes for alleged domestic violence offenders have coincided with more inmates on remand, pushing the state's prison population to near record highs. More than $100 million will go towards corrective services to help cope with the increase. Another change ensures bail decisions will be made by magistrates, following the high-profile April 2024 murder of Molly Ticehurst in Forbes, allegedly by her former boyfriend Daniel Billings, who was granted bail by a registrar about two weeks earlier. Ten virtual courtrooms are planned to support remote bail hearings and five new physical ones will be built in Sydney's city centre. NSW Law Society president Jennifer Ball also welcomed an almost $50 million boost to fund more public prosecutors. "But we will be examining the NSW budget ... to determine whether sufficient funding will also be allocated to Legal Aid NSW and Aboriginal Legal Service to meet the significant extra demand new prosecutors will have on the criminal justice system," she said. The budget announcements will lay the foundation for longer-term reforms, Domestic Violence Prevention Minister Jodie Harrison said. "This is work that previous governments have neglected for many years," she said. The state budget will be handed down on June 24. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14 Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491 Support services will get longer funding timelines to help more than a million domestic violence survivors as spending on jails and courts increases. More than half a billion dollars will go towards dealing with domestic violence to undo years of "neglect", with plans to better support victim-survivors and keep alleged abusers behind bars. Non-government support services will get more certainty around funding with five-year contracts promised, the NSW government said on Monday. Domestic Violence NSW chief executive Delia Donovan said that would improve service sustainability while other reforms were important building blocks. "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," she said. "Too often, domestic and family violence workers are tied to short-term contracts through pilots, and this creates a lot of uncertainty." Premier Chris Minns said his government was providing more funding than any predecessor but the budget was also stretched. "It may not be enough for advocates and they may be demanding more but we believe we're pushing the outer edges of what's possible at the moment," he told reporters. About half of the money is earmarked for a $227 million injection into the state's victims' support service across five years to help victim-survivors access counselling and financial assistance. Almost $50 million will be spent on making it easier for them to give evidence, with remote courtrooms alleviating the risk of attending the same court complex as their abuser. The funds will also provide counselling, legal aid and financial advice at a hub expected to open in late 2027. An estimated one-in-four women and one-in-eight men in Australia have experienced violence by an intimate partner or family member since the age of 15. Recent bail changes for alleged domestic violence offenders have coincided with more inmates on remand, pushing the state's prison population to near record highs. More than $100 million will go towards corrective services to help cope with the increase. Another change ensures bail decisions will be made by magistrates, following the high-profile April 2024 murder of Molly Ticehurst in Forbes, allegedly by her former boyfriend Daniel Billings, who was granted bail by a registrar about two weeks earlier. Ten virtual courtrooms are planned to support remote bail hearings and five new physical ones will be built in Sydney's city centre. NSW Law Society president Jennifer Ball also welcomed an almost $50 million boost to fund more public prosecutors. "But we will be examining the NSW budget ... to determine whether sufficient funding will also be allocated to Legal Aid NSW and Aboriginal Legal Service to meet the significant extra demand new prosecutors will have on the criminal justice system," she said. The budget announcements will lay the foundation for longer-term reforms, Domestic Violence Prevention Minister Jodie Harrison said. "This is work that previous governments have neglected for many years," she said. The state budget will be handed down on June 24. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14 Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491
