Tuesday, 28 July 2026

 Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (18:50): (2621) My adjournment matter is for the Attorney-General, and the action I seek is for the government to commit to a full rollout of justice navigators across Victoria when the pilot program ends in December 2027. The recent announcement of the pilot sites of the justice navigator program has been welcomed by all those across the victim-survivor support sector. The pilot, run by Sexual Assault Services Victoria and Family Safety Victoria, was designed after extensive consultation with service providers, advocacy organisations, justice professionals, government agencies and, importantly, directly with victim-survivors of sexual violence. I am particularly pleased that the Mallee sexual assault unit in my electorate has been chosen as one of the pilot sites. Justice navigators will support survivors to understand and exercise their rights and assist them to navigate the support, compensation, justice and recovery options available. This builds on recommendations from the Victorian Law Reform Commission report in 2021 and is modelled on longstanding independent sexual violence adviser roles in England and Wales. The sites have been selected, the positions have been advertised and recruitment has begun, with the pilot intended to run for a little over 12 months to its completion in December 2027. Justice system journeys can take well over 12 months, particularly when involving criminal trials, which can take years. The government must provide the sector and the public with a guarantee of a full rollout of the service to ensure there is no gap when the pilot ends in 2027.

Ultimately, the pilot is not about proving that justice navigators are needed; we already know how confronting and burdensome the experience of navigating the complexities of the justice system is for victim-survivors. It also is not about proving that they work. We have the evidence from similar pilot programs in other states and from a similar model well proven overseas in the UK. The government must ensure that the communication surrounding the purpose of the pilot is to gain an understanding of the intricacies of creating the best model for Victoria, and they must guarantee a statewide rollout upon its completion. Justice navigators have the potential to significantly improve outcomes for victim-survivors, but I urge the government to provide some confidence that it will become a permanent feature of the specialist sexual assault sector here across Victoria.