Introduction by Croakey: It’s election time in lutruwita/Tasmania, and “tough on crime” rhetoric is running rampant, as per the tweet below by Premier Jeremy Rockliff.
It’s worth checking the entire X/Twitter thread to see some of the evidence-informed replies, including a link to this recent article in The Monthly outlining “decades of catastrophic failure to protect young people in the state’s care”.
Meanwhile, a coalition of community service organisations and justice advocates have united in a campaign to push parties and candidates to respond to the urgent, ongoing safety concerns identified by the Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings.
In a joint statement, they call for reform of the Youth Justice Act, including raising the age of criminal responsibility to at least 14 and the age of detention to at least 16, a focus on prevention, long-term comprehensive funding for community-based programs targeting prevention and early intervention, and better support for Aboriginal children and families.
Below, Adrienne Picone, CEO of Tasmanian Council of Social Service (TasCOSS), one of ten organisations behind the joint statement, calls for policies and programs that are grounded in evidence and are proven to work.
“The research is clear: ‘tough on crime’ approaches are not effective tools for promoting public safety, and involvement with the criminal justice system only serves to increase the likelihood that young children will go on to reoffend,” she says.
Adrienne Picone writes:
A few short months ago, the Tasmanian Government pledged its commitment to implementing the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s Reponses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings (Commission of Inquiry), promising greater investment in early intervention, prevention and therapeutic responses to address challenging behaviours and to keep children safe.
Regrettably, the commitment to deliver meaningful and long-term change has been short-lived.
Rather than using the upcoming 2024 Tasmanian State Election as an opportunity to promote therapeutic reforms, announcements made so far relating to child safety and wellbeing include draconian promises to “crack down on crime” and send a message to “the up and coming generation of criminals,” with the Tasmanian Premier, Jeremy Rockliff, announcing a new plan to recruit additional police and “deliver new laws to help catch criminals”.
It’s not only the Government who are failing to make commitments to provide better supports to children and young people, particularly in the areas of prevention and early intervention.
For example, whilst we support Tasmanian Labor’s pledge to introduce a community court for young people and funding for community-based programs, we strongly believe such measures must be accompanied by policies which actively reduce the involvement of children in the criminal justice system in the first place and provide greater opportunities for targeted supports for those at risk of involvement in the criminal justice system.
Evidence matters
Rather than investing in police operations or taskforces, we need genuine commitment — from all parties — to policies and programs that are grounded in evidence and are proven to work. The research is clear: ‘tough on crime’ approaches are not effective tools for promoting public safety, and involvement with the criminal justice system only serves to increase the likelihood that young children will go on to reoffend.
Furthermore, giving more money to police and introducing new laws to further criminalise children does nothing to protect those who are currently involved in our youth justice system or detained at Ashley Youth Detention Centre, where according to the Commission of Inquiry, they are still at risk of significant and serious harm.
We strongly agree with the Commissioner for Children and Young People Tasmania, Leanne McLean, that “Tasmania cannot arrest our way out of these complex problems.”
We need genuine commitment from all candidates, regardless of political affiliation, to prioritise the reforms we know will work best to promote the safety and rights of Tasmanian children and their families.
Our commitment to this issue transcends political ideologies and alarmist rhetoric. Tasmanian children should not be used as political pawns.
This election can be catalyst for positive change, but it requires a commitment to working collaboratively with children and their caregivers to identify and address the underlying issues of young people using, or at risk of using, harmful behaviours.
Furthermore, we need to make sure our community organisations are resourced and funded to continue their vital work supporting Tasmanian families.
Now is the chance for all parties and candidates to honour the commitments made to the children and families who bravely shared their stories, and prioritise meaningful reforms to promote safety and protect our children.
• Adrienne Picone is the CEO of the Tasmanian Council of Social Service (TasCOSS) who, along with other community service organsations and justice advocates, released a Joint Statement on the Safety of Children and Young People in Tasmania (2024 Tasmanian State Election).
See Croakey’s archive of articles on the 23 March state election
