On this page

  • Overview
  • About the Plan
  • Key initiatives

Overview

The DJCS Corporate Plan 2023-27 (the Corporate Plan) outlines the vision for the department over the next 4 years. This plan builds on the department's work to create a justice and community safety system that works together to build a safer, fairer and stronger Victoria. The Corporate Plan outlines a set of initiatives that highlight a renewed commitment to quality frontline services and a more focused policy, legislation and reform agenda.

 

About the Plan

Our vision: A justice and community safety system that works together to build a safer, fairer and stronger Victoria.

The Corporate Plan is the department's medium-term plan, consistent with the Victorian Government's objectives, priorities and budget decisions. Initiatives in the Corporate Plan 2023-27 have been aligned to 4 Outcome areas to deliver long-term benefits for Victoria:

  • creating a fair and accessible justice system for Aboriginal people
  • safer and more resilient communities
  • a trusted justice and community safety system
  • easy access to justice and safety systems and services.

The 4-year plan is refreshed annually in accordance with requirements under the Financial Management Act 1994. The Board of Management will embark on a planning process in 2023–24 to identify new medium-term priorities following recent organisational change. The reset department priorities will be incorporated into the 2024–28 Corporate Plan.

The department reports on delivery in line with government requirements, including a detailed annual report. You can view past annual reports outlining the department’s services and activities 

Key initiatives

A fair and accessible justice system for Aboriginal people

A fair and accessible justice system for Aboriginal people is integral and integrated into all work of the department.

‘A fair and accessible justice system for Aboriginal people’ encompasses the following departmental outcomes:

  • systemic harm is identified and addressed
  • over-representation of Aboriginal people in the criminal justice system is reduced
  • self-determination is embedded in all justice and community safety systems and services

Initiatives:

 

Systemic harm is identified and addressed

  • Support Aboriginal-led review of progress implementing recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and inquest recommendations from subsequent deaths in custody.
  • Continue implementation and delivery of the Stolen Generations Reparations Package.
  • Develop cultural safety standards for health services in Youth Justice and develop the Aboriginal Social and Emotional Wellbeing Plan for young people across the system, in line with Wirkara Kulpa (External link).
  • Continue to lead the department’s engagement in Victorian treaty processes.
 

Over-representation of Aboriginal people in the criminal justice system is reduced

  • Implement Community Based Youth Diversion Programs supporting Aboriginal young people through culturally grounded programs.
  • Conduct a Statutory Review of the Spent Convictions Scheme to be tabled in Parliament in December 2023.
  • Reduce future justice demand in collaboration with Victorian Aboriginal communities by enhancing the Aboriginal Youth Cautioning Program for young people aged 10-17 years; supporting a pilot to assist Aboriginal Community Justice Panels in 3 locations; and implementing a regional hub model for Victorian Aboriginal Legal Services.
 

Self-determination is embedded in all justice and community safety systems and services

  • Deliver priority initiatives under Wirkara Kulpa, including at least one Aboriginal Youth Justice Hub and Case Management Review Panels for Aboriginal children and young people.
  • Consult and develop an Aboriginal Victims of Crime Strategy, informed by consultation with the Aboriginal community and key principles of cultural safety and self-determination so that the victim support system can better respond to the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
  • Continue to lead the department’s response to the Yoorrook Justice Commission to support the system to better respond to the needs of Aboriginal peoples.
  • Work with the Aboriginal community to perform sequential initiatives to evaluate Burra Lotjpa Dunguludja (Aboriginal Justice Agreement Phase 4) leading into development of Aboriginal Justice Agreement Phase 5.

Safer and more resilient communities:

'Safer and more resilient communities' encompasses the following departmental outcomes:

  • Victorians are protected from crime
  • contact with the criminal justice system is minimised
  • Victorian communities understand risks and act to reduce harm from natural disasters and disruptive events
  • Justice services support the health and wellbeing of Victorians in all of their interactions with the Justice system.

Initiatives:

 

Victorians are protected from crime

  • Operationalise Cherry Creek in 2023, reconfigure the Youth Justice footprint and identify offsets for justice initiatives as part of the 2023–24 and 2024–25 State Budgets.
  • Enhance community-based sentencing options by continuing reforms to enable more integrated service delivery, improved oversight of high-risk offenders on Community Correction Orders, and better engagement with the judiciary and other justice system partners.
  • Implement the recommendations of the Serious Offenders Act legislative review.
  • Lead the department’s response to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability.
  • Develop an Adolescent Family Violence Strategy for the Victorian Justice System.
  • Develop the Justice Legislation Further Amendment (Criminal Appeals) Bill.
  • Develop the Justice Legislation Amendment (Sexual Offences and Other Matters) Bill.
  • Develop the Justice Legislation Amendment (Offensive Behaviour) Bill.
  • Develop legislation to prohibit the public display of Nazi symbols.
  • Implement the government's response to the Inquiry into Anti-Vilification Protections.
 

Contact with the criminal justice system is minimised

  • Continuing Youth Justice initiatives including culturally sensitive support for Aboriginal young people in custody, offence specific services for youth offenders subject to community-based orders and maintaining frontline custodial staff and the safety and emergency response team.
  • Preventing youth offending through early intervention by engaging young people in the community and addressing risks factors for offending.
  • Progress a standalone Youth Justice Act in mid-2023, consistent with the recommendations of the Youth Justice Review Strategy.
  • Work to better support South Sudanese children and young people in the Youth Justice system.
  • Progress reform on raising the age of criminal responsibility and the development of an Alternative Service Model to divert young people from the criminal Justice system.
 

Victorian communities understand risks and are supported to reduce harm from natural disasters and disruptive events

  • Build community resilience and support communities through flood recovery, in consultation with relevant departments.
  • Build a sustainable, agile, and capable emergency management workforce.
  • Deliver key priorities and reform within the emergency management sector.
  • Continue to progress the Emergency Management Governance Review and Operating Model Review implementation.
  • Deliver a program of emergency management sector wide training and capability development, both online and face to face.
 

Justice services support the health and wellbeing of Victorians in all of their interactions

  • Implement changes to the custodial primary health, forensic mental health, and Alcohol and Other Drug Services in Victorian public prisons, following the Health Services Review and Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health Services.
  • Ensure appropriate governance for the BlueHub police mental health service, funded by government and delivered by The Police Association of Victoria.
  • Support the delivery of Public Intoxication Reform to transition to a health-based approach including the establishment of robust evaluation and monitoring functions to oversee implementation, and delivery of messaging and communications to the community to support the intent of the reform.
  • Progress gambling reform and support gambling harm prevention initiatives including through legislative reform, harm reduction policy frameworks and funding to maintain a strong gambling regulator and support Victorians experiencing gambling harm.
  • Commence new primary health operating model, with GEO Group across men’s prisons, Western Health at the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre and Dhelkaya Health at Tarrengower.

A trusted justice and community safety system

'A trusted justice and community safety system' encompasses the following departmental outcomes:

  • Justice institutions, regulators and services are trusted and transparent
  • Victorians feel safe
  • victims of crime feel safe and supported throughout their experience with justice systems and services.

Initiatives: 

 

Justice institutions, regulators and services are trusted and transparent

  • Implement recommendations from the Cultural Review of the Adult Custodial Corrections System initially and optimise infrastructure and supports to reflect the cultural, rehabilitation and reintegration needs of people in prison, staff, and service providers.
  • Finalise development and implementation to the department’s Multicultural and Multifaith Action Plan.
  • Implement revised regulatory arrangements for Gaming and Liquor, award the next Wagering and Betting Licence and implement recommendations from the Royal Commission into the Casino Operator and Licence.
  • Development of strong liquor regulatory policy (including supporting the Minister to exercise their regulatory duties) supported by diverse stakeholder engagement.
  • Implementation of Liquor Control Victoria’s strategic plan to modernize and strengthen the regulator, and achieve a “safe, diverse, responsible” liquor industry.
  • Support the growth and sustainability of the Victorian racing industry and ensure Victoria remains the home of major racing events.
  • Deliver the Victorian Racing Industry Fund and the newly created Major Racing Events Fund to support racing clubs and industry bodies to improve racing infrastructure, develop events, and attract attendees.
  • Lead the department’s response to the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.
  • Review of police oversight arrangements.
  • Develop the Justice Legislation Amendment (Trial by Judge Alone and Other Matters) Bill.
 

Victorians feel safe

  • Enhance the protection of crowded places across Victoria through capability building and public safety initiatives.
  • Support Victoria Police to continue its program of 150,000 drug tests on our roads to reduce the number of drivers under the influence of drugs, lowering the risk of drug-related road accidents.
  • Deliver the installation and activation of fixed road safety cameras at 35 intersections and two point-to-point networks across Victoria to enforce high-risk behaviours such as speeding and red-light running as part of Victoria’s Road Safety Strategy Action Plan 2021–23.
  • Deliver the roll-out of distracted driving and seatbelt road safety cameras to detect portable device and seatbelt non-compliance offences as part of Victoria’s Road Safety Strategy Action Plan 2021–23.
 

Victims of crime feel safe and supported throughout their experience with justice systems and services

  • Implement the recommendations supported by Government from the Inquiry into Responses to Historical Forced Adoptions in Victoria, including design of a redress scheme.
  • Develop the Judicial Proceedings Report Bill to further support victims and families of deceased victims
  • Provide eligible victims with alternative options to feel heard and participate in restorative justice processes through the Victim Centred Restorative Justice Program.
  • Establish a new administrative Financial Assistance Scheme for Victims of Crime.
  • Implement the Victims Legal Service to better support victims of crime.
  • Develop the Evidence Amendment Bill to implement recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
  • Continue to deliver the Restorative Engagement and Redress Scheme for Victoria Police employees who have experienced workplace sex discrimination or sexual harassment.
  • Deliver the Fiskville Redress Scheme for victims of exposure to unsafe practices at the former Fiskville Training College site.

Easy access to justice and safety systems and services

'Easy access to justice and safety systems and services' encompasses the following departmental outcomes:

  • Justice services are integrated and easy to navigate
  • Justice services respond to user needs
  • Justice services are accessible to all Victorians.

Initiatives:

 

Justice services are integrated and easy to navigate

  • Replace manually driven administrative systems at the Post Sentence Authority with a case management system.
  • Implementation and oversight of reforms to the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority.
  • Develop the Intersectionality Strategy, focusing on addressing the impact of systemic discrimination.
  • Deliver further technology to the current fines Information Technology system, complementing existing technology to ensure increased revenue collection, assistance for vulnerable Victorians and more debtor centric digital services.
  • Progress legislative and operational changes to the Victorian fines system.
  • Re-design the sheriff’s operating model and associated systems and tools.
 

Justice services respond to user needs

  • Trial and evaluate options for serving Family Violence Intervention order applications and for taking digitally recorded statements for victim survivors at family violence incidents.
  • Progress adoption reforms, prioritising governance and accountability, so that past practices are never repeated.
  • Review of the legal services operating model across the Victorian Public Sector to ensure it is fit for purpose and aligned to government priorities.
  • Administer the Contingency Fund to provide additional benefits to police aged 55 - 60 years.
  • Work with the Magistrates’ Court to implement changes to make it faster and cheaper for workers to get their unpaid wages and/or entitlements through the courts.
  • Victoria Police and Victoria Legal Aid to provide specialist police prosecutors and legal support at Specialist Family Violence Courts, ensuring that parties involved in family violence matters have legal representation to resolve cases quickly, reducing stress associated with the court process while delivering court efficiencies and improved access to justice.
 

Justice services are accessible to all Victorians

  • Embed system wide pathways from vocational training and jobs in prisons to employment in the community. This includes establishing new employment hubs at four new prisons, recruiting Employment Specialists to work with people in prison, implementing new Welding Centres of Excellence and developing and strengthening partnerships with employers including through social procurement.
  • Contribute to Better Connected Care reform to collaboratively deliver better integration of services, providing Victorians accessing multiple services with the support they need earlier and to reduce demand on acute services, including across the justice portfolio.
  • Develop the Open Courts Act Further Amendments Bill to implement remaining recommendations of the 2017 Open Courts Act Review.
  • Continue early intervention programs and meet demand for legal assistance for people experiencing hardship, including through Community Legal Centre (CLC) initiatives such as the CLC Family Violence Assistance Fund and early intervention health justice partnerships, and providing for culturally safe legal assistance delivered by the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service across Victoria. Support is available for people with a cognitive impairment to participate in police interviews through the Office of the Public Advocate’s Independent Third Person program.

 

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