- Published:
- Thursday, 31 March 2022 at 11:24 am
Our Ballarat office played host to state Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes earlier this week as she visited Wadawurrung and Dja Dja Wurrung country for the long-awaited launch of the new Ballarat Drug Court.
She took the opportunity to look around the office, meet staff and sit down for an afternoon tea, alongside Melbourne visitors Chief Counsel Julia Munster, Regions and Service Delivery Executive Director Peter Noble and Therapeutic Courts Managing Lawyer Elanor Peattie.
Ballarat Managing Lawyer Madeline Ryan was delighted that the Attorney-General made time to visit and speak with staff.
It was her first time in our Ballarat office.
‘It was a great opportunity to tell the Attorney-General about work in the region, how we adapted our services during COVID-19 and how we are experiencing the return to in-person practise at our local courts,’ said Madeline.
‘We also discussed some of the challenges our staff and clients are facing, from housing shortages to access to justice issues.’
‘It was great to share in the Attorney-General’s excitement about the expansion of the Drug Court in the Ballarat region and support for therapeutic approaches in the criminal justice system.’
The new Ballarat Drug Court
Earlier in the day, Ms Symes had opened the Ballarat Drug Court, which is the second of its kind to open in regional Victoria after Shepparton, which began operating in January.
The two regional drug courts are part of the Victorian government’s $35 million expansion of the therapeutic justice approach, which previously existed in the Dandenong and Melbourne Magistrates’ courts only.
A 12-month trial is also currently underway in the County Court.
Ms Symes, who is also the Member for Northern Victoria, said it was important to expand the program outside of metropolitan Melbourne to ensure people had support closer to home.
The Ballarat Drug Court will be able to support up to 35 people on Drug and Alcohol Treatment Orders each year.
Under the therapeutic justice model, participants undergo a strict compliance regime including regular drug testing, court review hearings and counselling, all while supported by Victoria Legal Aid lawyers.
Elanor said the benefits of the therapeutic approach were clear.
‘It’s about recognising the underlying causes of offending and providing a multidisciplinary response to give people the best possible opportunity to get their lives on track,’ she said.
‘We know this approach works, with evaluations showing a 34% lower rate of reoffending for participants on a Drug and Alcohol Treatment Order.’
The first participant started in the Ballarat program earlier this month.
More information
For referrals to the Ballarat Drug Court, contact BallaratVLADrugCourt@vla.vic.gov.au
For Shepparton Drug Court, contact SheppartonVLADrugCourt@vla.vic.gov.au
For support with preparing a referral to the County Court Drug and Alcohol Treatment Court, please contact CCDATC@vla.vic.gov.au
Read more about Neville, a participant in the County Court DATC
Read more about the Drug Court on the County Court of Victoria and Magistrates’ Court of Victoria websites.
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