Tuesday, 18 November 2025

 Rachel PAYNE (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (12:21): My question is also for the Minister for Corrections. We both had the pleasure of attending She’ll Be Apples, a performance by the women in Dame Phyllis Frost Centre run by Somebody’s Daughter Theatre Company. The performance was a powerful exploration of trauma, abuse and isolation. It examined how the choices we make and the choices made for us shape our lives for better or worse. Somebody’s Daughter have been working with women in Victorian prisons since 1980 using the arts as a driver to break cycles of abuse, addiction and disengagement, but after years of patchwork grants they are in desperate need of funding. My question is: will the minister work with me to advocate for adequate and ongoing funding for Somebody’s Daughter in next year’s state budget?

 Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice) (12:21): I thank Ms Payne for that question, which is really a great example of what rehabilitative programs look like within the four walls. Part of our justice system is that when people enter into custody we have an obligation to ensure they have the best opportunity to turn their lives around, and Somebody’s Daughter Theatre Company do amazing work in that space. I know Ms Payne’s longstanding passion for that program. What I can say is we are scaling up our justice system. That means, thanks to the Treasurer, we have significant investments. Parts of those investments are not just in frontline staffing but are also about programs and ensuring they scale up, so I will take that on notice. We are going through the budget process, without disclosing those processes, but I will be advocating for more funds for programs within our corrections system. That is a really good program that has been really successful, so I look on that positively.

 Rachel PAYNE (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (12:22): I thank the minister for his response and also for taking me up on the offer of going along to see the show. I am really glad you saw it. By way of supplementary, Somebody’s Daughter in partnership with Newcomb Secondary College deliver an arts-led education program called Nobody’s Fool Theatre, a program for school non-attendees. It is a creatively led education program for marginalised and disengaged young people who fall through the cracks of mainstream education. We know it is important to engage young people who are disengaged, offering a circuit breaker to see them engage in community and education. Will the minister commit to advocating for funding for programs like this, which support young people?

 Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice) (12:23): I thank Ms Payne for her supplementary question – another great example of the rehabilitative change that arts programs can make. Especially in the First Nations space we have had the Torch, which has been successful over a number of years and strongly supported by you and many members in this chamber. I think a program like that sounds exciting, and I will run it by our youth justice team. As we are reopening, obviously, our Malmsbury site, which will have a different model of care focused on a lower risk cohort, a more rehabilitative cohort, that is showing really positive signs of reintegration. Let us continue the conversation. I will make sure my office reaches out.