September 18, 2009
The Federal Government has weighed into the community violence crisis, launching a Federal inquiry into the issue.
The Nationals Member for Gippsland Darren Chester said the Federal Inquiry would investigate strategies to reduce violence and its impact on young Australians.
In the meantime, Mr Chester said the Federal Government should provide funding for local communities to install Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) and improve lighting.
“The inquiry will investigate the links between illicit drug use, alcohol abuse and violence among young people; and the social and economic factors that contribute to violence by young Australians,” Mr Chester said.
“The State Labor Government has failed to keep our streets safe and I have been calling on the Federal Government to step in and take action to clean up our streets.
“I welcome this inquiry as the first step, but it must be followed up by real actions.”
As an interim measure, Mr Chester has repeatedly called on the Federal Government to provide more funding through the National Community Crime Prevention Program (NCCPP) for local communities to install CCTV cameras or improve lighting.
“These are measures that local communities have identified as ways of improving community safety and the perception of community safety – but they are unable to access funding from either level of government to implement these self-identified strategies,” Mr Chester said.
“We have a situation where, despite the community’s escalating concern, governments are so far refusing to do enough to provide the necessary support to address community violence issues.”
The Federal inquiry is being conducted by the House of Representatives Standing Committee of Family, Housing and Youth and is titled ‘Impact of Violence on Young Australians.’
“The reality is that young people are frequently and overwhelmingly the victims of public violence and young people have identified violence as one of the top issues impacting on their daily lives,” Mr Chester said.
“Not only do they worry about their own personal safety, but also the impact that violence is having on their friends, families and communities.”
The terms of reference for the ‘Impact of Violence on Young Australians’ are to enquire and report on the impact of violence on young Australians with particular reference to:
• Perceptions of violence and community safety among young people
• Links between illicit rug use, alcohol abuse and violence among young Australians
• The relationship between bullying and violence and the wellbeing of young Australians social and economic factors that contribute to violence by young Australians; and
• Strategies to reduce violence and its impact among young Australians
Mr Chester encouraged young people and community representatives to share their experiences in regards to youth violence and how it has affected them or someone they know.
Further information is available at: http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/fchy/youthviolence/index.htm