Tuesday, 29 July 2025

 Rachel PAYNE (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (18:49): (1758) My adjournment matter is for the Attorney-General, and the action that I seek is for Victoria to stop criminalising begging. Jessica Geddes of Endeavour Hills was only 27 years old when she was fatally bashed by her abusive partner in 2020. Thirty-six reports were made to Victoria Police of Jessica breaching the public order. She often begged for food and money while her Centrelink payments were directed to her abusive partner. When police did make contact, they would usually ask Jessica to move on, despite receiving reports of suspected family violence. State Coroner John Cain said:

It appears that each incident was considered individually, rather than considering the reasons why Jessica was begging, and the underlying issues she was facing …

Like State Coroner John Cain, I believe we need to end the criminalisation of begging in Victoria. Being poor is not a crime. Our archaic laws are built on negative stereotypes of beggars as troublesome or lazy. Despite being decriminalised in Western Australia, New South Wales, the ACT and Tasmania, begging remains an offence in Victoria punishable by fine or imprisonment. According to Justice Connect Homeless Law’s 2018 survey, one in three people charged with begging had experienced family violence. That same survey found 77 per cent experienced homelessness, 87 per cent had a mental illness and 37 per cent reported childhood trauma or abuse.

Criminal responses to begging perpetuate poverty and fail to address root causes of vulnerability that lead people to beg. We are currently locking up people for simply trying to survive, and if we do not lock them up, we fine them. It is a terrible irony that in Victoria if you cannot afford to survive and are forced to resort to begging the government fines you, pushing you further into poverty.

For those that are charged, having to attend court amongst poverty, homelessness, violence and mental illness is a mammoth task. When someone fails to attend court, they can be subject to further criminalisation. We must end the criminalisation of begging in Victoria. We owe it to people like Jessica and to those who, instead of being offered a helping hand, were told to move along. So I ask: will the Attorney-General take steps to stop the criminalisation of begging in Victoria?