Thursday, 10 September 2026

 Ann-Marie HERMANS (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (22:06): (2809) My adjournment matter is to the Minister for Community Sport. The action I seek is for the minister to clearly outline what this government will do to engage more teenagers in sport, specifically at-risk youth, to help curb escalating crime being committed by young people in this state. Minister, under this Labor government a crime is committed every 50 seconds in Victoria. Armed teenagers, many of them repeat offenders out on bail, are committing the majority of carjackings and home invasions and facing no consequences. Victorians are living in fear, feeling unsafe in their homes. This scourge in our communities could be significantly reduced if more early intervention sports programs were introduced to engage at-risk youth before they offend. In a world-first study, Australia was ranked 140 out of 146 countries for teen physical activity. The study was published in the Lancet Child & Adolescent Health and found that only one in 10 adolescents do at least 1 hour of daily physical activity as recommended by the World Health Organization. Physical activity and team sports in particular help prevent adolescents from engaging in antisocial behaviour and substance abuse while improving self-esteem, mental health and confidence and providing a sense of belonging.

Last week I attended the fabulous Melbourne City Football Club Blue Ribbon Cup community versus police program at Narre Warren South P–12 College, and I commend them for their community outreach program and for the school’s hospitality. I also recently attended Reclink Australia’s footy grand final series at Frankston Football Club with Reclink founder Peter Cullen AM; Tim Costello, former World Vision Australia CEO; AFL footy legend Dermott Brereton; and Professor Ged Williams, chief nursing officer and executive director of nursing at Alfred Health. I was excited to meet the footy players, who were clients from various community service agencies, including young offenders, people in drug and alcohol rehab, cancer survivors and people with disabilities. Reclink is a national not-for-profit that is using sports, recreation and arts programs to help change the lives of people experiencing homelessness, mental illness, disability, economic hardship and social isolation. It runs 75 different types of sports programs and is seeing benefits in mental wellbeing and physical health, with new friendships and community teams being formed. Hospitals like the Alfred are trialling the benefits of team sports and are advocating for GPs to be able to have social prescriptions to refer patients to community groups offering team sports and sport communities for healthier outcomes. Programs like this are transforming lives to provide purpose to so many people.

Jess Wilson’s Liberals have a plan, but the Andrews–Allan–Carroll Labor government has no plan to deter teenagers from committing crimes, and Victorians have simply had enough.\