Despite the increasingly irreparable damage done to the Youth Justice system by the Andrews Labor Government, the 2020/21 Budget has failed to do anything to divert young people away from a path of crime.
Instead of directing money in the State Budget at programs to pay for overblown staff budgets, the Andrews Labor Government should have funded programs to keep young people out of detention centres.
By offering realistic programs that divert at-risk youths away from a path of crime, we can provide better outcomes for young Victorians and reduce the burden on a broken system.
These programs don’t require a capital spend or get a flashy announcement headline so they were ignored for funding in the Budget by Daniel Andrews and Labor.
Daniel Andrews has decided that because youth diversion programs don’t give jobs to union construction workers, they weren’t funded. As a result, more youths will end up in the justice system and come out worse than before they went in.
When will the Andrews Labor Government wake up and realise that by stopping young people entering the youth justice system, it will greatly improve the lives and outlooks of young Victorians?
Comments attributable to Shadow Minister for Youth Justice, Brad Battin:
”The trajectory of a young person when they enter the youth justice system is towards a life of crime, violence and a burden to the community.
“Labor must invest in education programs targeted at the at-risk individual before they commit a crime.
“Education programs around teaching life skills and employable skills must be the focus of any good government and a future Liberal Nationals Government are committed to doing this.
“By ensuring we provide support to crime diversion programs, we can ensure that Victoria’s future is secure.”
