Tuesday, 18 June 2024

Youth justice system

Richard WELCH (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (21:49): (953) My action is for the Minister for Youth Justice. Victoria is in the middle of a youth crime crisis. Youth offenders have injured over 137 people in six years while crashing vehicles, 53 in 2023 alone. This year youth crime has reached a nine-year high under the Allan Labor government. The impact of this crisis has been clearly seen in my electorate, in communities such as Glen Waverley. There have been an increasing number of break-ins in the area, with residents concerned about their property and the overall safety of the community. In Glen Waverley there is a one-in-35 chance of becoming a victim of property crime. In the last week alone in Glen Waverley we had an attempted armed robbery by two men wielding a hammer and a tyre iron in Blackburn Road, we had a major robbery at the Rebel Sport and just today we saw the arrest of a 14-year-old accused of a crime spree across my electorate and the region – four armed robberies. In recent months there have been high-speed pursuits and crashes. Another notorious youth offender had 388 charges – including aggravated burglaries, car thefts, home invasions, carjacking and more – dismissed. Yet the May budget of this government has cut community crime prevention by $11 million and youth justice custodial services by $34 million. How are we meant to help our young people aspire to the best and grow to be responsible community members if this government removes both the consequences and the reform resources? At the same time the full-time equivalent police force staff is on the decline, with 800 frontline vacancies unfulfilled, leading to 43 police stations across the state having their hours cut. One of those includes Forest Hill station in the Glen Waverley electorate.

Our community is watching with a growing sense of helplessness as crime escalates and more lives are put at risk. If these trends persist, youth crime will continue to jeopardise both the community and the future of many young individuals who lack the opportunity for reform due to insufficient funding from the Allan Labor government. We must work together to strengthen targeted early intervention and diversion programs to ensure young people do not end up on the wrong path. It is imperative that we take decisive action now to ensure a safer future for all Victorians and help those young people in our community who need it the most.

The action I seek from the minister is to allocate funds towards evidence-based intervention programs that provide our youth with comprehensive support and guidance, including funding for educational opportunities, mental health services and job training programs, all of which have been cut. By investing in these targeted strategies, we can help at-risk youth reform and become productive, responsible members of our community.