Page 280 - Week 01 - Thursday, 14 February 2019
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Criminal laws hold people responsible for their wrongdoing. Charging and convicting a person of a crime is one of the most stern and concrete ways that our community will express its disapproval of that person’s behaviour. The criminal justice system certainly plays an important role in upholding our values and addressing the wrongs that are committed against the victims of crime. But expressing our values is not all that we seek to achieve in criminal justice, and this government is firmly committed to a justice system that is restorative and rehabilitative.
When it comes to people who face the courts primarily as a result of addiction, it is important to focus on the evidence that we have about their behaviour. The evidence is overwhelming that treating addiction as an issue of right and wrong is not only ineffective, but simply does not stack up with what we know about the biology and the psychology of drug use.
The ACT government is working hard to ensure that our policies reflect the latest and the strongest evidence. Other members here today have spoken about the evidence-based approach to drug and alcohol abuse, and to sexual health. That same commitment to turning evidence into action is part of my approach with the courts.
The evidence is strong that if we provide the right support services to people with drug and alcohol problems at the right point in their contact with the judicial system, we can address these dependencies and in turn we can build more resilient people, families and communities. That is why this government has made the establishment of the drug and alcohol court one of its top priorities. This is an example of therapeutic justice, which prioritises the treatment of the causes of crime and the prevention of recidivism.
The Minister for Health and Wellbeing and I had the privilege of joining Judge Roger Dive in the Parramatta Drug Court last month to witness firsthand what a harm minimisation focus is able to achieve. We saw that, through building relationships and surrounding vulnerable people with support, new beginnings are possible and the root causes of offending can be addressed. I would like to place on record our appreciation to Judge Dive and to all of the officers and the people involved at Parramatta for their generosity to us on that day.
Here in the ACT, the development of a drug and alcohol court has been focused on relationships. Corrective Services, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Legal Aid ACT and ACT Policing will all have a role to play. I would like to make particular mention of Chief Justice Murrell and Justice Burns for their strong support in the process.
Also in my portfolio, harm minimisation is extended to more than just laws about crime. This government has taken action to ensure that our laws help minimise gambling harm and to support the responsible consumption of alcohol. For example, changes to licensing fees for liquor sales in 2017 are funding the development of a new campaign to support responsible drinking.
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