Rosalie Woodruff MP | Greens Justice spokesperson
The State Budget has confirmed the Liberals’ ‘tough on crime’ approach has failed, with millions more allocated to fund the overflowing prisons. Reoffending continues to rise, and a shameful half of all people sent to prison return.
Rather than following the evidence of what works to keep communities safe, the Liberals are resolute in continuing the mistakes they’ve made for the last six years.
Attorney General Elise Archer remains steadfastly committed to punitive, not rehabilitative, justice, with this Budget including a huge 23% increase for prisons across the forward estimates.
To reduce crime, the Gutwein Government should be investing more in inmate education, rehabilitation, diversion programs, and support services for those exiting prison.
The Liberals have included funding for the DPP, Legal Aid, and the court and corrections systems. Those services do need proper funding, but without listening to expert advice on how to solve these issues, the system will keep struggling to cope, and these costs will keep increasing.
What’s needed is a policy reset.
The Liberals can’t just keep writing cheques and building new or bigger prisons when the numbers in the justice system get too high.
‘Tough on crime’ is not the answer to making safer communities, it never has been.