❓ The Minister outlines the expansion of the Target 120 program to Newman and Carnarvon, emphasizing community-led solutions and early intervention to address youth crime, highlighting partnerships with local organizations and addressing alcohol abuse as a key driver of issues.
AnsweredQoN 232Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
TARGET 120 — NEWMAN AND CARNARVON
232. Mr K.J.J. MICHEL to the Minister for Community
Services:
I refer to the McGowan Labor government's
commitment to ensuring at-risk young people are supported in their communities.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house how the expansion of Target 120 to Newman and
Carnarvon will work in partnership with other measures to keep the community
safe?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house how this early intervention program will assist in
steering at-risk youth away from the criminal justice system?
232. Mr K.J.J. MICHEL to the Minister for Community
Services:
I refer to the McGowan Labor government's
commitment to ensuring at-risk young people are supported in their communities.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house how the expansion of Target 120 to Newman and
Carnarvon will work in partnership with other measures to keep the community
safe?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house how this early intervention program will assist in
steering at-risk youth away from the criminal justice system?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the
member for Pilbara for the question.
(1)–(2) There is no question that the cycle of youth
offending in some of our regional areas is simply unsustainable . It is
also a sad fact that many of the underlying issues are not recent; they have
been a long time in the making over many, many generations, and solutions will
not be achieved overnight. But absolutely what will work is when communities
work together. It takes all parts of the community, it takes all levels of government and it takes a sustained effort from
all involved. As a former teacher in some of the most remote parts of the state, I know that to be true.
Programs work best when they are led by community and supported by
community to work locally.
I recently had the opportunity to
visit both Newman, with the member for Pilbara, and Carnarvon. As members know,
Carnarvon in particular has attracted attention for antisocial behaviour. I had
some really productive meetings with local police, the shire president and,
most importantly, local staff from the Department
of Communities. I listened to them and heard of the incredible work they are
doing in trying to work within their
communities to solve really challenging problems. Overwhelmingly, I heard that
alcohol abuse in Carnarvon is undeniably the key driver that gets in the
way of people doing important work with children and families.
I
commend the director of Liquor Licensing's recent proposal for
stringent liquor restrictions in Carnarvon . It is simply unacceptable
that alcohol-related crime is 16.2 times higher in Carnarvon than in the Perth metropolitan area. It is simply unacceptable that
alcohol-related family assaults are eight times higher than in the Perth
metropolitan area. Liquor restrictions, including strengthening the banned
drinkers register, is one important approach, but of course we know that will
only buy us some time to allow people in places such as Carnarvon to do the
important work they do. At the crux of supporting these people are the early
intervention strategies. Early intervention is the key to long-term solutions.
Members have heard me talk about programs such as Target 120, which addresses
youth crime at an individual level before young people's lives spiral
out of control. Newman and Carnarvon are now the latest towns to join the
Target 120 program. This program has a proven track record, with around half of
participants not having future contact with the juvenile justice system. We
know it works. In fact, since 2018 we have invested $31.5 million to roll out
Target 120 around the state, with an additional $11 million in the last budget
to roll it out to nine additional sites.
It was a pleasure to join the member
for Pilbara during my visit to Newman, where we announced that the Kanyirninpa
Jukurrpa Aboriginal Corporation had been appointed to run this program in
Newman. KJ has already been running amazing on-country trips that have
generated transformative change across Martu communities. This is the exact
type of local service provider that we need and want to support in driving that
change in communities. I want to acknowledge KJ corporation and the time it
gave me to share some of the important work that it is doing with its
communities and how excited it is to be supported through Target 120 to keep going with the work that it knows will work to make
a difference in young people's lives.
Yesterday, I met with Ngala to
announce that it had been appointed to deliver Target 120 in Carnarvon. Our community youth officer, Harmony Gould, an
incredible local champion, has been working with an interagency group to
identify suitable young people who will benefit from this program, and of
course their families, while arrangements were being finalised to announce the
service provider. Ngala is doing incredible work right around the state and has
done an extraordinary job in Carnarvon around a number of services, so it is
well placed to do that work in Carnarvon. I also met Reynold, who will be
working with Ngala as part of the Target 120 program. He is a local Carnarvon
person. That is absolutely critical because at the heart of Target 120 is engaging
with young people and building up their trust so that people like Reynold who
are involved in running the program can support them to build an individualised
plan that they are committed to. We can provide supports around that
individualised plan so that those young people can turn their lives around. I know
that Ngala will do a great job in Carnarvon because it partners with MEEDAC in
Geraldton to run Target 120 in Geraldton, so it has great experience and it
understands what is at the heart of Target 120.
Rolling out these programs to
Carnarvon and Newman is a strong specific example of how the McGowan Labor
government is focused on early intervention as the long-term solution for what
are challenging problems throughout the region.
The SPEAKER : I give the call
to the Leader of the Opposition with the last question.
member for Pilbara for the question.
(1)–(2) There is no question that the cycle of youth
offending in some of our regional areas is simply unsustainable . It is
also a sad fact that many of the underlying issues are not recent; they have
been a long time in the making over many, many generations, and solutions will
not be achieved overnight. But absolutely what will work is when communities
work together. It takes all parts of the community, it takes all levels of government and it takes a sustained effort from
all involved. As a former teacher in some of the most remote parts of the state, I know that to be true.
Programs work best when they are led by community and supported by
community to work locally.
I recently had the opportunity to
visit both Newman, with the member for Pilbara, and Carnarvon. As members know,
Carnarvon in particular has attracted attention for antisocial behaviour. I had
some really productive meetings with local police, the shire president and,
most importantly, local staff from the Department
of Communities. I listened to them and heard of the incredible work they are
doing in trying to work within their
communities to solve really challenging problems. Overwhelmingly, I heard that
alcohol abuse in Carnarvon is undeniably the key driver that gets in the
way of people doing important work with children and families.
I
commend the director of Liquor Licensing's recent proposal for
stringent liquor restrictions in Carnarvon . It is simply unacceptable
that alcohol-related crime is 16.2 times higher in Carnarvon than in the Perth metropolitan area. It is simply unacceptable that
alcohol-related family assaults are eight times higher than in the Perth
metropolitan area. Liquor restrictions, including strengthening the banned
drinkers register, is one important approach, but of course we know that will
only buy us some time to allow people in places such as Carnarvon to do the
important work they do. At the crux of supporting these people are the early
intervention strategies. Early intervention is the key to long-term solutions.
Members have heard me talk about programs such as Target 120, which addresses
youth crime at an individual level before young people's lives spiral
out of control. Newman and Carnarvon are now the latest towns to join the
Target 120 program. This program has a proven track record, with around half of
participants not having future contact with the juvenile justice system. We
know it works. In fact, since 2018 we have invested $31.5 million to roll out
Target 120 around the state, with an additional $11 million in the last budget
to roll it out to nine additional sites.
It was a pleasure to join the member
for Pilbara during my visit to Newman, where we announced that the Kanyirninpa
Jukurrpa Aboriginal Corporation had been appointed to run this program in
Newman. KJ has already been running amazing on-country trips that have
generated transformative change across Martu communities. This is the exact
type of local service provider that we need and want to support in driving that
change in communities. I want to acknowledge KJ corporation and the time it
gave me to share some of the important work that it is doing with its
communities and how excited it is to be supported through Target 120 to keep going with the work that it knows will work to make
a difference in young people's lives.
Yesterday, I met with Ngala to
announce that it had been appointed to deliver Target 120 in Carnarvon. Our community youth officer, Harmony Gould, an
incredible local champion, has been working with an interagency group to
identify suitable young people who will benefit from this program, and of
course their families, while arrangements were being finalised to announce the
service provider. Ngala is doing incredible work right around the state and has
done an extraordinary job in Carnarvon around a number of services, so it is
well placed to do that work in Carnarvon. I also met Reynold, who will be
working with Ngala as part of the Target 120 program. He is a local Carnarvon
person. That is absolutely critical because at the heart of Target 120 is engaging
with young people and building up their trust so that people like Reynold who
are involved in running the program can support them to build an individualised
plan that they are committed to. We can provide supports around that
individualised plan so that those young people can turn their lives around. I know
that Ngala will do a great job in Carnarvon because it partners with MEEDAC in
Geraldton to run Target 120 in Geraldton, so it has great experience and it
understands what is at the heart of Target 120.
Rolling out these programs to
Carnarvon and Newman is a strong specific example of how the McGowan Labor
government is focused on early intervention as the long-term solution for what
are challenging problems throughout the region.
The SPEAKER : I give the call
to the Leader of the Opposition with the last question.
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