An additional two years imprisonment for ‘posting and boasting’ about a crime and additional bail tests for young offenders are all part of a suite of new policies and programs designed to stop repeated crimes in regional communities.

The denial of an inquiry into rising levels of regional crime late last year was a blow to local communities, but the NSW Government has now responded with their own proposed solution that comes as a $26.2 million package. 

NSW Government Duty MLC for the Barwon Stephen Lawrence said that the package is designed to tackle the alarming spike of youth crime in regional NSW.

“What has been announced is a two-part package, the first part being a legislative reform to strengthen bail laws for repeat offenders and a new offence for performance crime,” Mr Lawrence said. 

New laws

This includes an amendment to the Bail Act 2013, which will see young people between 14 and 18 undergo an additional bail test when charged with committing certain crimes - including break and enter offences or motor vehicle theft - if they were already on bail for the same offences. 

The new policy - which will be trialled over 12 months - means that police, magistrates and judges will need to be confident young people won’t reoffend before offering bail.

While the temporary policy was designed to stop repeat offending, President of the Law Society of NSW Brett McGrath said the tightened bail test should be proven before becoming legislation, rather than be a 12 month experiment.

“Tightening the test for bail will result in more children being sent into custody. In circumstances where youth justice centres are often many hours from child defendants’ families and communities, this change has the potential to do a great deal more harm than good,” Mr McGrath said. 

A new offence will also be added to the Crimes Act 1900, imposing an additional penalty of two years’ imprisonment for people who commit motor vehicle theft or break and enter offences and share material, such as a video on social media, that advertises their involvement in the crime. 

Country Mayors Association Chairman Jamie Chaffey (right) with NSW Nationals MP Adam Marshall advocated on behalf of regional councils for an inquiry. (Adam Marshall)

The Moree trial

Like many towns in the Western Plains, Moree has gained a reputation for repeated youth crimes and fear of safety in the community. 

In the year to September 2023, the common juvenile offence of theft - in all its forms - occurred 61 times in Bourke, 23 in Coonamble, and 30 in Walgett, all LGAs that have become notorious for crime levels. 

In the same year, Moree saw 150 counts of the same offence. 

Within the funding package, $13.4 million will be allocated to a ‘targeted response’ in Moree, which if successful, will be rolled out to other regional locations. 

The response will include additional judicial resources and Aboriginal Legal Service funding, a new $8.75 million bail accommodation and support service, and increased out of hours activities, such as extended hours at the local pool and PCYC. 

“We know there is no easy solution but the reforms we are announcing today look at the big picture at a whole-of-community level, to really intervene and help prevent crime and give young people a chance at life,” NSW Premier Chris Minns said. 

Programs for everyone else

For now, a lot of details remain to be seen around what programs might be implemented where, including the success of initiatives within Moree, and consultations that will decide which Closing the Gap priority locations will see an additional five Safe Aboriginal Youth Patrol Programs will be implemented.

Youth Action Meetings (YAMs), which are led by police and aim to address the needs of young people at risk of offending will also be expanded in nine police districts that are yet to be identified, with one already in place at Bourke.

$7.5 million in Justice Reinvestment grants will also be available, which funds Aboriginal community-led change to address the underlying causes of imprisonment and reoffending. 

Response to new policies

While the Law Society of NSW warned against creating ‘experimental’ legislation and a failure to consult with experts, the importance of funding to address youth justice was welcomed. 

Stakeholders associated with calling for the regional crime inquiry, including NSW Farmers and the Police Association of NSW (PANSW) also supported the new funding and legislation. 

“These additional tools in tightening bail conditions and harsher penalties for sharing criminal acts on social media will provide our police with another tool to reduce the rate of repeat offenders and help support our cops in keeping their communities safe,” PANSW President Kevin Morton said. 

“These diversionary initiatives, including those already run by the NSWPF such as PCYC facilities and youth education programs, will provide additional infrastructure and support services to help young people become better engaged in the community.”

NSW Farmers Rural Affairs Committee spokesperson Garry Grant said the new reforms may go a long way to lessen the true cost of regional crime. 

“These young offenders are often violent and reckless in their behaviour, and they are also costing landholders and businesses millions of dollars every year, through both loss of goods and increased insurance costs," Mr Grant said.

NSW Nationals continues to advocate for an inquiry into regional crime, critiquing the one-size-fits all approach that could be built from Moree’s experience. 

“We need to design a response for each regional town because they will have different issues, different resources, different capacity on the ground and different organisations that can be engaged as part of the solution,” NSW Nationals Member for Dubbo Dugald Saunders said.

An inquiry into regional crime continues to be dismissed at this point.