Amid the reinvestment plan and in the wake of an uptick in property crime in Australia region, local campaigners have expressed their gratitude toward for reinvestment after the federal government for its help in launching a justice reinvestment initiative in the town of Katherine in the Northern Territory.
There have been requests for assistance made by 15 towns located all throughout the country, including Katherine, Darwin, Groote Eylandt, and Lajamanu in the Northern Territory.
The federal government will provide funding to First Nations-led organizations such as Ninti One, the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research, and the Justice Reinvestment Network Australia so that these organizations can each establish their own justice reinvestment strategy with the assistance of the federal government.
When the communities are ready to put their plans into action, they will be able to submit an application for a portion of a financing package worth $81.5 million that was announced in the most recent federal budget.
On Wednesday in Darwin, during a meeting of the Joint Council on Closing the Gap, Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney made the announcement.
In a joint statement, Ms. Burney, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, and NT senator Malarndirri McCarthy noted that “Justice reinvestment involves community-led and holistic approaches to keeping at-risk individuals out of the criminal justice system.”
It comes after the media reported the previous week that Katherine had seen an increase in illicit enters and property damage in the last 12 months, which has been ascribed to “ongoing dysfunction” and a lack of resources. The news comes after the ABC reported the previous week that Katherine had seen an increase in unlawful entrances and property damage in the last 12 months.
In addition to his post as a senior solicitor with Legal Aid, Harley Dannatt has been contributing to the development of the town’s Justice Reinvestment project.
He stated that the assistance will assist the community in developing plans to address these concerns in a different manner.
“The sorts of things that Justice Reinvestment is looking to address, things like incarceration rates and overrepresentation in the legal system, are complex issues,” he added. “The sorts of things that Justice Reinvestment is looking to address, like incarceration rates and overrepresentation in the legal system.”
“In order to respond, we need the participation of the entire community,” and “this approach is data-driven and community-driven.”
The work being done by Justice Reinvestment in Katherine is geared on the prevention of crime through the coordination of efforts with Aboriginal community leaders and organizations, the Northern Territory Police, other government agencies such as Territory Families, and non-government support services.
According to Mr. Dannatt, the most recent round of federal financing might include funds for a part-time First Nations Justice job to assist with the leadership of the initiative.
“It’s pleasing that it’s been recognised how advanced Katherine is in its preparations for this kind of approach,” he said. “It’s been recognised how advanced Katherine is in its preparations for this kind of approach.”
Christine Butler, a woman who has lived in Katherine for a very long time and who is also a Bandjin, is one of the leaders of the town’s Justice Reinvestment Project.
She stated that she was “excited” by the announcement of the financing, which she claimed will help drive the project further after years of hard effort had been put in.
She explained that she had been anticipating it due to fact that “we have done hard yards in long period of time now.”
She stated that she believed the financing would make it possible for Katherine to eventually be chosen as a financed trial site for justice reinvestment, similar to the town of Bourke in New South Wales, which became the first justice reinvestment trial site in the country in the year 2016. She used this example when she was speaking about the funds.
“For us, it’s just that bit closer to achieving our long-term goal and having something permanently in place here,” she added. “For us, it’s just that bit closer to achieving our long-term goal.”
It has already been decided that the communities of Alice Springs and Halls Creek in the East Kimberley will receive funds from the government as part of its justice reinvestment program.
Senator McCarthy gave the example of newly started patrol initiatives in Alice Springs that were carried out by the Lhere Artepe Aboriginal Corporation as an example of an activity that might be carried out with the funds.
“These are local solutions to local problems that are occurring,” she said. “I’m very excited about it.”
Senator McCarthy stated, “I have no doubt that there will be requests [for support] from a variety of additional communities and towns across Australia.”
Ms. Burney explained that the “philosophy” behind the justice reinvestment program was for the states and territories to provide an equal level of funds to each community as the funding provided by the Commonwealth.
That will get it up to an extremely robust sum of money.
