Page 2578 - Week 08 - Thursday, 14 August 2014
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handed down by the court. That is an unsatisfactory situation that is occurring. Those great reformers of justice that we keep hearing from over on the other side and the compassion that they keep talking about is a nonsense if they do not properly resource the justice system and people are kept in remand for extended periods simply because of inefficiencies in the court system. It is grossly unacceptable.
I do want to make particular note of victims of crime. There has been upheaval in the last Assembly. There has been turbulence in the area of Victims Support ACT. But I note that the Victims Support ACT website is very useful. I note also that much of the day-to-day support for victims of crime comes from the community sector now. It comes from Communities@Work and their victim support program. I commend Communities@Work for that function they provide.
This is a program that is mainly resourced by volunteers from our community. They provide support to clients as they attend court proceedings, assist clients who are victims of crime to make applications for financial assistance, provide general support, help demystify the court experience, reduce anxiety, and deal with processes and systems and provide referral services. This does receive government funding but it is limited. Much of that support is provided by volunteers and there is only so much that can be provided.
I express my great sympathy to victims of crime who suffer physical injury, financial loss, property loss or property damage. It could even be third parties—friends and relatives—who may not be the direct victim. These people need support on a range of areas and programs like Side By Side, but it can only be provided to the extent that the funding will allow. I think this is an area that needs to be examined more closely because this government does invest a lot in the perpetrators of crime. If you compare the amount invested in victims of crime to perpetrators of crime, you see a great imbalance.
I am sure that Mr Wall will talk about the latest amount of money being provided to the jail. (Second speaking period taken.) In respect of the resources provided to criminals, I do not want to be flippant but when you read about the Tuscan pork belly being provided at the jail and then you see the lack of resources provided to support victims of crime, you have to scratch your head.
There is an imbalance. I think this is an imbalance that needs to be rectified across the whole spectrum in our legal system. But it also plays out with our police force. It is not just the victims of crime; it is not just the courts; it is not just the DPP. It is also those who are out on the street day and night implementing the laws that we make in this place here.
We know that the government slashed $15 million from the police budget last year. Although there is an increase this year, we see that it is below CPI. We are seeing very small increases in police resourcing. In effect, when compared with CPI and wage increases, effectively there is a reduction in funding. I am particularly concerned to make sure that police have the resources to do their job on the ground. A particular issue on this side of the chamber is the impact of violent assaults on police in our streets.
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