We stand in full solidarity with justice organisations and advocates across Victoria in condemning the Victorian government’s decision to allocate a staggering $727 million to expand the state’s prisons and youth justice centres.
‘At a time when communities are grappling with homelessness, rising living costs, and the urgent need for social services, this move to invest in more prison beds is both misguided and dangerous,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘This investment directly supports the expansion of the carceral state, ramping up capacity by nearly 1,000 adult prison beds and an additional 88 beds in children’s prisons. The government’s proposed increase in remand, particularly with new bail laws passed in March, will disproportionately impact already marginalised communities, including Aboriginal people, and contribute to the growing crisis of mass incarceration,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘The National Network are alarmed at the government’s justification for this expansion: a claim that harsher bail laws will protect the community from the risk of crime. In reality, these laws are being used to justify locking more people up — many of whom have not even been convicted of a crime,’ said Tabitha Lean. ‘The increase in people on remand, awaiting trial but not yet found guilty, is a direct consequence of these draconian changes,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘This is not smart politics — it is populist politics that feeds into a cycle of fear and punishment. The government’s focus on expanding prisons rather than addressing the root causes of crime, such as racism, poverty, homelessness, mental health struggles, and a lack of community support services, is both irresponsible and harmful,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘The expansion of the carceral state, funded by public money, does nothing to address the underlying social issues that contribute to criminalisation. Instead, it builds more cages, locking more people away, removing them from our communities. This short-sighted approach will not create safer communities — it will only deepen the crisis of over-incarceration and the cycle of harm that disproportionately impacts vulnerable and marginalised communities,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘The National Network strongly oppose this punitive approach and call on the government to redirect these funds into social services that can serve to prevent criminalisation in the first place: affordable housing, mental health support, health care and education. This is a moment to invest in the well-being of our communities, not more prisons,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘The Victorian government’s decision to expand the carceral state is an affront to justice and human rights. We will continue to resist these harmful policies and stand in solidarity with those most impacted by them — particularly Aboriginal communities, who are massively targeted by the prison system,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘It is time for a shift away from the politics of fear and punishment, and towards a system rooted in healing, care, and support for all people,’ said Tabitha Lean.
For further comment, please contact Debbie Kilroy on 0419 762 474 or Tabitha Lean on 0499 780 226
