Victoria invests over $700m for justice system

The Victorian 2021-22 budget provides more than $700 million to strengthen the state’s justice, legal and court systems, including $88 million to implement recommendations from the Lawyer X royal commission.

Jerome Doraisamy • 24 May 2021 • Politics

Victoria invests over $700m for justice system

Following the release of the federal budget 2021-22, in which Treasurer Josh Frydenberg announced nearly half a billion dollars to better support the family law system, Victoria has pledged over $700 million to strengthen the state’s justice, legal and court systems, including an expansion of its family violence court network, enhancing online services and a new fast-track model for victims of wage theft.

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The funding announced includes:

Over $210 million for Victoria’s courts, to increase efficiency and clear backlogs caused by the pandemic, as well as boost online services.
More than $55 million to support Victoria’s justice agencies to provide better support to courts and the community.
$78 million to expand the network of specialist family violence courts.
$13.7 million to fund perpetrator intervention programs.
$9.6 million for a new fast-track model in the Magistrates Court to ensure wage theft cases are heard quickly.
$51.6 million for the OPP to support its work prosecuting the state’s most serious offenders.
$15 million to independent advocate and guardianship programs.
$18.8 million to support the implementation of the royal commission into mental health.
$33.1 million in programs to prevent Aboriginal deaths in custody.
$30.4 million for critical early intervention support services, including support for community legal centres, legal aid and dispute resolution.
$87.92 million to implement recommendations from the Lawyer X royal commission.
$33.3 million to bolster the Working with Children Check unit.
$2.8 million to support the legal rights of LGBTQI+ Victorians with funding for the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission.

Victorian Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes (pictured) said that the state is making investments where needed so as to ensure that its justice system is “responsive and fair”.

“Our investments provide targeted support for vulnerable Victorians while seeking to empower women, Aboriginal people, people with disability, older Victorians and children. Most importantly this budget will make sure all Victorians have access to justice,” she proclaimed.

“Every worker has the right to get a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work, that’s why we are making it easier and faster for Victorian workers to get what is rightfully theirs.”

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Elsewhere, the state is making the following investments to ensure better outcomes for victims of crime, including protecting women and children from domestic violence:

$54.6 million to improve state responses to victim survivors, and progress pledge to replace the Victims of Crime Assistance Tribunal with a more accessible and trauma-informed financial assistance scheme, as well as create a new Victims Legal Service through Victoria Legal Aid and community legal centres, and continue the Intermediaries Program;
$165.1 million for initiatives “that will keep the community safe and help keep young people away from the criminal justice system”, including after-hours services and family therapy support for at-risk young people, treatment programs in the community to address the root causes of offending, and delivering stable and effective custodial centres;
$354 million investment to implement all 227 recommendations of the world-first Royal Commission into Family Violence, such as almost $100 million for the ongoing implementation of information sharing and the Family Violence Multi-Agency Risk Assessment and Management Framework and $44.1 million to deliver support for children impacted by family violence and sexual assault, including adolescents who use violence at home.

The Minister for Women and Prevention of Family Violence, Gabrielle Williams said that inequality for women feeds violence against women, which is why Victoria is looking to target both.

“Whether it’s teaching our kids consent, investing in support for Victorians of all backgrounds, or ensuring every budget we deliver leads towards gender equality – we’re investing in an equal future for women and girls,” she said.

“At the same time, these investments are also building and supporting our dedicated family violence workforce – creating new opportunities for thousands of Victorians at the heart of our response.”

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Jerome Doraisamy

Jerome Doraisamy is the managing editor of Lawyers Weekly and HR Leader. He is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in New South Wales, and a board director of the Minds Count Foundation.

You can email Jerome at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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