Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to thank the member for Fraser for bringing this very important motion to the House. As the member of one of the 10 most socioeconomic disadvantaged electorates in Australia, I welcome the opportunity to address the issues of incarceration and juvenile detention and their impact on the broader community. These are issues that I have grappled with for some time as a member of parliament. I have done so with the help and advice of some very remarkable people. For this reason, today I want to speak about the work of a philanthropic organisation known as the Bridge of Hope Foundation and its plans to create a social revolution, one dedicated to addressing the very issues that the motion by the member for Fraser raises. This has particular relevance to the government's $304 million Social Inclusion Agenda.

I first became aware of the Bridge of Hope Foundation about two years ago when I was approached by its founding member and executive officer, Mr John Walsh. Mr Walsh told me about his plans to establish an organisation that would enable all sectors of the community to work together to address the cause and effect of generational disadvantage. A key tool in this process would be the formation of a Bridge of Hope Foundation roundtable alliance made up of members who were recognised experts in their fields and already had established networks. Mr Walsh went on to explain that the current system of dealing with youth at risk, young single mothers, children with a parent in prison and newly released prisoners often lacked much needed common sense and, above all, a whole-of-government approach.

One can only begin to grasp the enormity of this problem when faced with statistics that show that 12,000 children in Victoria have a parent in prison. On a national basis, this number rises to approximately 38,000. Research also shows that early intervention programs targeted at at-risk youth are the most cost-effective way of reducing crime. Mr Walsh has taken all these factors into account and come up with a proposal known as the Bridge of Hope solutions model. The Bridge of Hope model, like the federal government's Social Inclusion Agenda, puts addressing entrenched disadvantage as paramount to Australia's future and as paramount in addressing some of the issues that we are discussing here today.

In this regard, we have approached the Minister for Social Inclusion, Tanya Plibersek, to have the Bridge of Hope model included as a prototype for the program that the government is rolling out. We are very much hoping to trial this in my electorate for the first time. The case for trialling the Bridge of Hope model in Calwell is a very strong one, especially when one considers that 25 per cent of the Victorian prison population comes from 14 postcodes out of a total of 647. My electorate is one of those 14 postcodes.

The Bridge of Hope solutions model is a low-cost, volunteer-driven initiative, visualised to empower communities to form partnerships with government as well as experts in mentoring and mental health. In practical terms this involves a coordinated approach in what I like to describe as a process of joining the dots. This process, will involve identifying clients through Centrelink and Corrections Victoria in order to put them in touch with services best suited to their circumstances. Trained volunteers from Rotary and Probus clubs will take on a mentoring role and provide ongoing long-term support in order to ensure individual objectives are achieved.

Research shows that almost half of all Australian juveniles released from detention will be imprisoned as adults, largely because they lack family support and education. For this reason the Bridge of Hope solutions model also addresses in-house prison education with its Stepping Stones crossover program. The crossover aspect means that rather than discontinue the in-prison program at the time of an inmate's release, the program will cross over with the inmate and assist with housing and employment and provide access to a mentor or a friend.

Student education is another vital aspect that is crucial to the success of the Bridge of Hope solutions model. The Bridge of Hope schools program is based on the knowledge that vulnerable youth are inclined to believe that (a) it is considered tough to go to prison and that (b) it is cool to hate cops. The Bridge of Hope Foundation has proposed to debunk these negative mindsets by substituting them with positive mentoring. It is believed that the discipline and focus shown by those in the Army, for example, will serve as a solid foundation for vulnerable youth. Police officers, as well as rehabilitated prisoners, will also be encouraged to share their experiences as part of the program. It is proposed that this program will be similar to the social impact bonds trials currently being conducted in New South Wales. The benefits of the bonds is that they will reduce policing, criminal investigation, prosecution and judicial costs. (Time expired)

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