Youth crime
Ben CARROLL (Niddrie – Minister for Education, Minister for WorkSafe and the TAC) (10:21): There has been a lot of discussion about crime in the Parliament this week. I want to take this opportunity to put a few facts on the table. The fact is there is no better way to prevent crime than through a good education. For Labor, education is our light on the hill because we believe every young person deserves a fair go, no matter where they come from or the size of their parents’ bank balance, and we believe education must be at the heart of the youth justice system. When a young person gets caught up in the justice system, we do not give up on them. That is not who we are on this side of the chamber. We know that rehabilitation is not the soft option, rehabilitation is the smart option, and we know that education is more than reading and writing. It is about building hope, and it is showing a young person that they matter, that they have potential, that their past does not define them, that it is their future that matters most. If you want to live a life of purpose, it is about your future and it is about education.
While the only thing the Liberals are focused on is getting a headline, we are focused on giving vulnerable people the education and the opportunities they deserve right through Victoria, including in Melbourne’s western suburbs, because we know the three best crime prevention measures are an education, a job and a stable home – three things that are central to the Labor Party DNA and ethos, because we know when you shut the door down on people, they will eventually want to kick it down. We are not just tough on crime, we are tough on the causes of crime.