Good morning everyone.It is a privilege to be joining you this morning in beautiful Mparntwe Alice Springs and I’d like to start by respectfully acknowledging the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we are meeting, the Arrernte people, and extending my respect to all First Nations brothers and sisters here with us today.The theme for this year’s NTCOSS conference, Connection: The Force for Change – is a timely reminder of the interconnectedness of the work we all do.Reflecting on my first year as Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, it’s very clear to me that the progressive reform agenda we are drivingRaising the minimum age of criminal responsibilityRepealing mandatory sentencingContemporising our anti-discrimination legislation to better protect all Territorians from discrimination
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Would absolutely not have been possible without the incredible force for change that is the social services sector here in the Northern Territory.So at the outset I want to acknowledge and thank you all for your hard work and commitment. For continuing to fight for the rights of the most vulnerable in the community and for being fierce advocates for change.I also want to acknowledge the people from the Northern Territory here with us today particularly the people from Alice Springs for your resilience in the face of adversity and misinformation spread by the merchants of doom and gloom.As Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, there is no greater priority for me than turning the tide on the shameful rates at which First Nations men, women and children are locked up in the Territory.As an Aboriginal man I have seen first-hand my own family locked up when they shouldn’t be. Locked up when they could have been referred to a program and diverted from the criminal justice system.We know that the old approach isn’t working. It isn’t keeping our community safe. Jailing really is failing our community.
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We need smarter approaches to break the cycle of reoffending which focus on addressing the underlying reasons for contact with the criminal justice system – the social determinants of justice.We know that people often end up in jail after child protection, disability, education and health systems have failed them.We know that poverty, disadvantage, homelessness, structural racism and discrimination, undiagnosed and untreated health conditions are all drivers of incarceration. And that the more of these factors you experience, the more likely you are to end up back in jail.We also know that evidence based approaches and empowering self-determination and local decision making are the greatest tools we have to reduce offending.That’s why programs such as our Alternative to Custody Life Skills Camp right here in Mparntwe Alice Springs are so important.The Life Skills Camp is a residential rehabilitation facility for Aboriginal women that is based on cultural values and leadership to address the needs of Aboriginal women in contact with the justice system.
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The program includes trauma and grief counselling, training and employment opportunities and post-release housing services.The Life Skills Camp provides an alternative option to prison for Aboriginal women identified at risk of offending or reoffending.This is a program that is genuinely changing lives. That is seeing women:reconnected with familyengaging in training and employment opportunitiesliving in secure housingaddressing health and wellbeing needsfeeling empowered, hopeful and with a greater sense of self-esteem, andmaking positive contributions to our community.Hearing firsthand the stories of women who have completed or are participating in the program powerfully demonstrates just how important these initiatives are.And I am acutely aware that we need more of these programs across the Territory.
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That’s why I am proud to announce that investing in better justice outcomes for all Territorians is a key pillar of this year’s Budget.Our Government will deliver historic investment in programs to break the cycle of reoffending with an additional $15 million to:expand the Life Skills Camp here in Alice Springs so that more women can access the support they needsupport the establishment of an Alternative to Custody on Groote Eylandt for Aboriginal men that will open later this yearas well as support key initiatives under the Aboriginal Justice Agreement to re-establish community courts and Law and Justice GroupsWe are continuing to invest in our Aboriginal Justice Agreement because we recognise that empowering Aboriginal leadership and backing local, community-led solutions is what works.In addition, we are investing $24 million to implement the significant sentencing reform we introduced last year which includes the design and delivery of new offender programs informed by Aboriginal cultural knowledge, as well as
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increased resources for supervision and support in the community.
These programs will work to address the social determinants of justice and ensure there are alterative pathways for people to get their lives on track.This year we have also introduced the Territory’s first supported bail accommodation for adults, with new programs up and running in Darwin and Alice Springs.We know that safe, secure and stable accommodation is often an issue for people in contact with the justice system. This new program will see people referred by the court who are assessed as suitable undertake behaviour change programs and address the reasons contributing to their offending. We know that programs like this can help people comply with bail conditions and get them on the right track.Budget 2023 will deliver an additional $13.92 million over four years to continue this program as an alternative to being remanded in custody, as well as increased resourcing to improve processing times for bail assessments.It’s still early days, but having met some of the staff and clients participating in the program and hearing their early stories of success, I’m excited to see this program develop.
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So there is certainly a lot of work happening within our criminal justice system – and as Attorney-General and Minister for Justice I am absolutely committed to driving the reform needed to break the cycle of reoffending.But we also need to look beyond our criminal justice system. We are a Government that understands that smarter justice for a safer Territory means investing in people, not new prisons.Our Government understands that to truly turn the tide on our incarceration rates, we need to turn our efforts and resources to addressing the social determinants of justice by investing in health, education and housing (…so stay tuned for further announcements in next week’s Budget! I’m confident that you will all feel encouraged by what will be announced).And that’s where Justice Reinvestment comes in. Justice reinvestment provides:community-led,place-based,preventative,therapeutic and
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oearly intervention solutions that reduce criminalreoffending and prevent future incarceration.
Just last week, I discussed the importance of Justice Reinvestment with the Australian Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus and my state and territory counterparts at the Standing Council of Attorneys-General meeting in Darwin.The Territory has the opportunity to be leading the way on how justice reinvestment approaches work.We don’t have to look overseas, or down south – but to our very own Territory solutions here on Groote Eylandt.NT Police data shows that youth crime on Groote Eylandt has fallen by 95% over three years as new justice programs, led by the community, have been implemented.Programs including mentoring and peacekeeping have seen young people diverted away from the justice system before coming into contact with it.These programs are successful because they engage with kids and young people by providing local role models and real opportunities to build life skills – like cooking, health and fitness, spear-making, photography – but also finding work experience positions, undertaking short courses, and getting a drivers licence.
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You may have heard me talk about decolonising the justice system before and this is an example of what it looks like –First Nations led and run programs having real impact in the community and preventing contact with the justice system.This is work we must continue. As I’ve said before, you can’t be what you can’t see and we need to support more of these programs showcasing First Nations leadership.Government doesn’t get things right all the time (you’re all shocked I know). We can’t let perfect get in the way of good if it means progressive reform.We will continue to invest in programs that address alcohol and drug addiction, mental health, FASD, domestic and family violence, education and training – programs that will make a difference on the ground in our community.And after 10 long years of drip feeding funding, we need to unite and rise up and lobby the Commonwealth to better fund mental health services and FASD assessments at a much earlier age not as our people walk into the Justice space.We need it to be done in the first 1000 days of a child’s life so we can have the appropriate social support systems in place.
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We need the Commonwealth Government to get serious about social security and we need the Community Development Program (CDP) reformed now – we don’t have time to waste.A number of the issues seen and experienced here in Alice Springs and the wider Australian community stem from some in our community living in abject poverty.Addressing these issues is also a form of Justice Reinvestment, as it diverts people away from the justice system.We will continue to work with the Aboriginal community-controlled sector to increase capacity to deliver therapeutic programs in our community.And we will make sure these programs are evaluated. Data and evaluations are also crucial for all of us, they help you all advocate for more funding and better policy based on evidence – yes, the facts.They help push Governments to implement progressive reforms and better communicate with the community and the media.
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So we will continue to invest in innovative, evidence-based services and programs with self-determination at the heart of any reinvestment.Because we know that if we are able to address these causes of offending as early as possible, then we can alter the trajectory of imprisonment and overall crime in the community.Progressive reform is never easy, and there will inevitably be challenges along the way.Importantly, I want to thank you all for continuing to fight for the rights of those in the community who are most vulnerable. I thank you for being fierce, for having the determination and passion to say things that others won’t.Today I commit as your Attorney-General to being just as fierce as you. To counter the misinformation and scare campaigns from the loud minority. Because law reform and progress doesn’t happen without controversy, without pushing.So I call on all of you, as the force for change in this room, to continue to be bold and keep pushing out there in the community. Because it is only through working together that we will truly see the transformative change needed to build a fairer, safer, more equitable future for all.
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So on that note, thank you for the opportunity to speak this morning and enjoy the rest of the conference – I hope it stimulates much discussion and new connections to build the force for change! Are you going to be the force of change? Are you ready? I can’t hear you. Are you ready?