Crime to continue dominating politics
Samantha Donovan: Combating crime has emerged as a key priority for voters around the country. Survey data released before the federal election showed crime had jumped from the ninth to the third top issue voters want addressed. And political analysts are expecting it'll also be an issue in coming state elections. Kimberley Price has more.
Kimberley Price: Getting tough on crime is a rising priority for politicians across Australia. As state and territory governments deal with community frustration about crime. Political scientist Paul Williams from Griffith University says, particularly in post-COVID Australia, voters are putting pressure on their leaders.
Paul Williams: There's no doubt that no matter where you live in Australia, which state or territory, city or regions or bush, youth crime is an issue. And I think that it's something that, you know, any state or territory government that doesn't address it is bound to be punished by the electorate.
Kimberley Price: That pressure is leading to some big and often expensive commitments. The latest is Victoria. After passing its stricter bail laws, the government has earmarked $727 million to increase capacity in jails. That'll include a thousand new adult prison beds and 88 new beds in youth detention. Enver Erdogan is the Victorian Minister for Corrections.
Enver Erdogan: We have made significant investments in the physical infrastructure across our corrections and youth justice system. This is about scaling up the system.
Kimberley Price: This comes after elections in Queensland. The Northern Territory and Western Australia all saw campaigns fought with tough on crime policies. There's clear data showing that voters are increasingly looking for politicians that tackle crime. Research from Roy Morgan released during the federal election campaign showed crime was rated the third most significant issue of concern for voters behind cost of living and health. Julian McCrann is the head of the Roy Morgan poll.
Julian McCrann: It really came up as one of the big increases for any of the issues that we measure, which was not expected. But when you think about what's been going on, particularly Queensland, Victoria, Northern Territory, you can understand why.
Kimberley Price: In Victoria, a by-election for the state seat of Prahran in February highlighted this growing political reality.
Julian McCrann: And that swung from the Greens to the Liberals. When you look at the conservative side of politics, they do tend to offer a tougher approach. And when crime is high or perceived to be high, at least it is effective.
Kimberley Price: While governments are toughening up bail laws and promising to put more people behind bars, there are critics who argue that does little to fix the problem. David Murray from Jesuit Social Services believes the Victorian government is reacting to public pressure rather than proven methods.
David Murray: You know, in Victoria, it's a small number. And the police have identified a small group of people who are committing very large numbers of repeat offences. But it's a very tiny number of people, relatively. So, yes, I think the government is, in a sense, captured by this volatile and sort of very dramatised media discussion. We have long advocated and continue to advocate for a stronger investment and commitment to addressing the drivers of criminal behaviour.
Kimberley Price: Professor Williams believes it will be a major focus at upcoming elections.
Paul Williams: Given that the sting seems to be coming out of the cost of living crisis, it's therefore likely that other issues are going to overtake cost of living. And the most likely candidate for a state like Victoria where there have been crime problems is youth justice. So I'm expecting, you know, youth crime to actually dominate the Victorian election.
Samantha Donovan: That's Professor Paul Williams from Griffith Uni, Kimberley Price reporting.
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