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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-09-08 Daily Xml
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Youth Justice

The Hon. J.S. LEE (14:45): My question is to the Minister for Human Services about youth justice. Can the minister please inform the council how the Marshall Liberal government is helping victims of youth crime?

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (Minister for Human Services) (14:46): I thank the honourable member for her question. Indeed, in relation to those people who are victims of crimes committed by young people, the Marshall government has moved on implementing an information register for those victims, to provide them with information. This is consistent with one of our election commitments, which was to help to keep victims of crime informed. This was one of the specific policies that was under the Attorney-General's portfolio.

In relation to those people who are victims of crimes which are committed by young people, those victims can now register online to be kept informed about their offender's sentence, place of detention and release date, as well as an opportunity to have their say to the Training Centre Review Board. These improvements will make it easier for victims to have their voices heard, stay informed and connect to support services.

We believe that all victims of crime, including those which are committed by young people, have the right to feel safe and respected. The Youth Justice Victims Register will connect victims and their families to the justice process and can offer greater peace of mind by keeping people informed of updates to sentencing, detention and imprisonment dates, location—including whether that is home detention—and date of release. We do hope that this is going to build trust and repair the harm that has been done for those victims of crime.

There are some simple changes to the register that are being implemented, including enabling online registration and new plain-English information materials to explain how the system works, which is often very useful for people to demystify the process. The register is managed by the Department of Human Services and all information is kept strictly confidential. Victims on the register can also provide information similar to a victim impact statement, which will be provided to the Training Centre Review Board if the board meets to consider matters about the young person who has offended, such as a change in location or potential release.

We look forward to people accessing this new service to assist them in their journey towards healing, going forward.

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