Page 2437 - Week 06 - Thursday, 23 June 2011
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the written submissions will be published on the Community Services Directorate’s website.
The release of the discussion paper Towards a diversionary framework for the ACT represented a commitment by this government to engage the community to look seriously at these issues. However, I must caution that the consultation report is just that—it is a report on what was said to Noetic by the various participants and stakeholders during the consultative process. Nevertheless, the consultation report provides very useful advice for the ACT government on the opportunities identified by those consulted to strengthen current diversionary responses.
Based on the initial advice from the consultation process, the ACT government has already invested in an approach to strengthen diversion as part of the 2011-12 budget. A funding commitment of approximately $2 million over four years has been allocated for the establishment of an after-hours bail support service to assist young people already on bail and those young people facing fresh charges outside business hours, where bail is being considered. The service will operate each evening and into the early hours of the morning to provide advice to police and young people about options to support young people to be placed on bail and to support young people already on bail.
I am very aware of the current inquiries into Bimberi and the youth justice system being undertaken by the Human Rights Commission and that the report on these inquiries is due to be tabled in the near future. The ACT government is supportive of the review process currently being undertaken and I can assure the Assembly that it will be given detailed consideration after it has been tabled. I note that the terms of reference for the Human Rights Commission inquiries include consideration of the effectiveness of diversionary strategies. A copy of the Noetic report was provided to the commission.
Today I am announcing the government’s interim response to the consultation report on the diversionary framework discussion paper in areas where the way forward is already clear. The government will provide a final response to the consultation report at a later stage, in conjunction with the government’s response to the Human Rights Commission’s Bimberi inquiries report.
I am pleased to announce that, in addition to the after-hours bail support service initiative that I have already mentioned, the government will be developing a diversionary framework for ACT youth justice, including diversions at all points in the youth justice system—primary, secondary and tertiary.
Primary diversion includes services, supports or interventions delivered universally across populations or to groups known to be at risk of developing a problem. The diversionary framework will look at a service system approach to primary diversion and early intervention.
The diversionary framework will also bring together our efforts around secondary diversion strategies that target those people who are considered at increased risk of a problem or who are already showing signs of the problem. These strategies include
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