Thursday, 5 March 2026

 Katherine COPSEY (Southern Metropolitan) (18:13): (2394) My adjournment this evening is for the Minister for Police, and the action I seek is to end the illegal shuffling of people between police stations to manage overcrowding and enforce the 14-day limit on detaining people in police stations. Media reports have made it clear Victoria Police is moving people between stations, inappropriately calling it ‘decanting’, to extend the time that they can keep people in police cells beyond the 14-day gazetted limit. This is a human rights failure happening under the Allan government.

The Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service, VALS, has described the case of Nathan, an Aboriginal man held for 26 days in police custody and moved 200 kilometres away from family and community, who suffered multiple medical emergencies in police stations. The VALS custody notification system made over 200 welfare checks during Nathan’s time in custody, and Nathan’s health deteriorated in police custody so much that VALS was forced to take emergency legal action to transfer him out of the police station. Shortly after Nathan was transferred out he suffered two cardiac arrests, and he is now in hospital. This is exactly the kind of neglect and disconnection from care and culture that puts Aboriginal people at heightened risk in custody. We know this practice of shuffling people is putting people who have been denied bail at risk of dying in custody, with Aboriginal women particularly vulnerable, and we know that hundreds of uncharged Victorians are being moved around each night.

The conditions in police stations are not meant for longer term custody, and they are exposing people to inadequate medical care, overcrowding, sleep deprivation, unhygienic conditions, and there is no access to fresh air or sunlight. We must be doing everything possible to prevent and end deaths in custody, not normalising conditions that make this more likely. So the action I seek is that the minister end this inhumane shuffling of people between police stations and enforce the 14-day limit on people in police custody.