❓ Mr Hunter questions the Premier on the government's approach to youth crime, highlighting apparent conflicting views between ministers. The Premier responds by outlining the Kimberley Juvenile Justice Strategy and related initiatives.
AnsweredQoN 627Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Youth justice programs
627. Mr Lachlan Hunter to
the Premier:
Recent coverage
shows a deep split within the government's youth crime response, with the Minister
for Police advocating to give kids a basketball and a feed and the Minister for
Corrective Services insisting that we should lock them up. Which approach is the
government actually backing?
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Minister for Police, the Premier has the
call.
627. Mr Lachlan Hunter to
the Premier:
Recent coverage
shows a deep split within the government's youth crime response, with the Minister
for Police advocating to give kids a basketball and a feed and the Minister for
Corrective Services insisting that we should lock them up. Which approach is the
government actually backing?
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Minister for Police, the Premier has the
call.
AnswerView source ↗
I think the member
was referring to comments made some weeks ago by the two ministers. Obviously,
we all have a small part to play in a very complex and difficult area. We
continue to do a lot, particularly around the response to, I guess, high-volume
criminal activity, particularly when it occurs in certain spots within the
state from time to time. We continue to make sure that we work with the
communities, police and the custodial departments. We make sure that we provide
a range of ways that we can approach the whole issue around youth misbehaviour
or offending.
Mr Shane Love interjected.
The Speaker: Leader of the Nationals WA!
Mr Shane Love interjected.
The Speaker: Leader of the Nationals, the Premier is
once again less than a minute into his response.
Ms Rita Saffioti interjected.
The Speaker: Treasurer!
Mr Paul Papalia interjected.
The Speaker: Minister!
Mr Roger Cook: I think these questions were raised in
the context of some unrest in some areas of the Kimberley. We recognise how
distressing these—
Mr Shane Love interjected.
The Speaker: Leader of the Nationals, once again the Premier
is a minute and 10 seconds into his response. Your interjections delay that
response and are unhelpful. Please stop.
Mr Roger Cook: The Leader of the Nationals could have
asked this question, given that he is participating so much in the answer!
We recognise how
distressing these events are for the local community. Although recent reports
of incidents in Kununurra in particular are concerning, the circumstances are
often complex and require a considered response. That is why we created the
Kimberley Juvenile Justice Strategy, a coordinated, multi-agency, community-led
response that addresses the causes of youth offending. It brings together night
patrols, safe spaces, cultural programs, education and youth engagement,
because no single intervention on its own is enough. We have also committed
$5.9 million to establish a safe night space, which is due to open later this
year for young people in Kununurra. We have appointed Kununurra Waringarri Aboriginal
Corporation as the community co-design partner. The night space will provide
outreach, meals, next day family follow-up and coordinated support services. These
spaces work, as we know from other successful models like Ngurra Buru in Broome
and the Youth Connection Night Place in Fitzroy Crossing. These community-driven
initiatives are often the best way to address these difficult and socially
complex circumstances.
was referring to comments made some weeks ago by the two ministers. Obviously,
we all have a small part to play in a very complex and difficult area. We
continue to do a lot, particularly around the response to, I guess, high-volume
criminal activity, particularly when it occurs in certain spots within the
state from time to time. We continue to make sure that we work with the
communities, police and the custodial departments. We make sure that we provide
a range of ways that we can approach the whole issue around youth misbehaviour
or offending.
Mr Shane Love interjected.
The Speaker: Leader of the Nationals WA!
Mr Shane Love interjected.
The Speaker: Leader of the Nationals, the Premier is
once again less than a minute into his response.
Ms Rita Saffioti interjected.
The Speaker: Treasurer!
Mr Paul Papalia interjected.
The Speaker: Minister!
Mr Roger Cook: I think these questions were raised in
the context of some unrest in some areas of the Kimberley. We recognise how
distressing these—
Mr Shane Love interjected.
The Speaker: Leader of the Nationals, once again the Premier
is a minute and 10 seconds into his response. Your interjections delay that
response and are unhelpful. Please stop.
Mr Roger Cook: The Leader of the Nationals could have
asked this question, given that he is participating so much in the answer!
We recognise how
distressing these events are for the local community. Although recent reports
of incidents in Kununurra in particular are concerning, the circumstances are
often complex and require a considered response. That is why we created the
Kimberley Juvenile Justice Strategy, a coordinated, multi-agency, community-led
response that addresses the causes of youth offending. It brings together night
patrols, safe spaces, cultural programs, education and youth engagement,
because no single intervention on its own is enough. We have also committed
$5.9 million to establish a safe night space, which is due to open later this
year for young people in Kununurra. We have appointed Kununurra Waringarri Aboriginal
Corporation as the community co-design partner. The night space will provide
outreach, meals, next day family follow-up and coordinated support services. These
spaces work, as we know from other successful models like Ngurra Buru in Broome
and the Youth Connection Night Place in Fitzroy Crossing. These community-driven
initiatives are often the best way to address these difficult and socially
complex circumstances.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.