Page 3036 - Week 08 - Thursday, 15 August 2019
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Harm minimisation is and will remain a key component of our approach to drug and alcohol addiction. The 2018-19 budget review included funding for a dedicated ACT drug and alcohol court. This new program will reduce recidivism by providing treatment for people whose crimes are the result of a drug or alcohol dependency. 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, build more resilient people, families and communities.
My directorate has been provided with $6.1 million over three years, including for a fitout within the courts precinct and ICT systems to support the new drug court. A further $5.8 million was provided to Housing ACT, to Legal Aid and to the Health Directorate, and these services will work together to help people overcome addiction while taking responsibility for their crimes.
I am pleased to note, while we are referring to the drug and alcohol court, the judicial resourcing that is provided as well. It follows the recent announcement of the appointment of the former Chief Magistrate, Lorraine Walker, as the acting judge who will be overseeing the work of the drug and alcohol court. That comes alongside the appointment of Acting Chief Magistrate Theakston, the increase in hours of Magistrate Stewart from part time to full time, the reappointment of Special Magistrate Hunter and the new appointments of special magistrates Warwick and McCarthy.
The allocation of these extensive judicial resources is of course a matter for the new Acting Chief Magistrate but I am pleased to note and to draw to the attention of members in this chamber recent correspondence from Acting Chief Magistrate Theakston who has commended the government on its action to resource the Magistrates Court for the provision of the services to the people of Canberra.
Our investment in legal services supports our community across the spectrum of needs. From year one of this term the ACT government has been a supporter of our community legal centres, and this budget continues that support. It includes $300,000 in 2019-20 to further support the works of Care Inc., the Women’s Legal Centre and the Environmental Defenders Office. The government recognises that community legal centres are crucial in ensuring that vulnerable people have access to high quality legal assistance and support to navigate the justice system.
As part of our robust, evidence-based response to organised crime we focus on stripping criminals of their assets. The DPP will receive $2.8 million over four years for additional prosecutors specialised in seizing criminal assets. The ACT has experienced immediate results since the establishment of the confiscation of criminal assets team within the DPP in March 2018, with an unprecedented growth in confiscation proceedings.
The increase in resources to both ACT Policing and the ACT’s Director of Public Prosecutions has allowed ACT authorities to undertake more complex and larger scale confiscation proceedings. In addition to supporting front-line efforts to reduce crime
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