2024-03-20
The Victorian Greens have called a Victorian Labor Government proposal to slap ankle bracelets on children as young as 14 inhumane, and say they plan to fight it in Parliament.
The Greens say it would be incredibly concerning if Labor was caving to pressure from Victoria Police to introduce harsh law-and-order measures impacting First Nations children.
Victorian Greens justice spokesperson, Katherine Copsey, said it was already concerning that Labor was only planning to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 12 this year, despite decades of advocacy by First Nations communities, and health and legal experts.
And now, they want to sneak in a reform that would see children as young as 14 treated like animals, with a bracelet slapped on their ankles to keep track of and monitor them.
Quotes attributable to Victorian Greens justice spokesperson, Katherine Copsey MLC:
"Are we now letting police write justice policy in this state?
“The Greens have been pushing for humane justice policy for years to reduce the over-incarceration of First Nations people, including raising the age of criminal responsibility to at least 14.
“Yet at every turn Labor seems to cave to conservative pressure, and implement harsh law-and-order policies that disproportionately impact First Nations communities.”
Quotes attributable to Leader of the Victorian Greens, Samantha Ratnam MLC:
"There’s a mural in Preston that depicts First Nations people being shackled, to remind us of our colonial past and we should never go back there.
“This reform would tragically bring those images to life, in 2024.
“This is not humane justice policy, and the Greens will fight it.”