Tuesday, 8 September 2026

 Trung LUU (Western Metropolitan) (23:41): (2775) My matter is for the Minister for Corrections regarding the growing capacity crisis in Victoria’s custody and corrections system. The action I seek is for the minister to outline what steps the government is taking to increase prison capacity and reduce the burden being placed on Victoria Police as a result of overcrowded custody facilities. Recent reports have revealed that police cells across Victoria are operating under significant pressure and some stations are reaching capacity, with frontline officers being diverted from their normal duties to supervise prisoners being held in custody. Victoria Police has acknowledged that members are ‘experiencing significant workload pressures’. After years of a softer approach on crime the government has now turned to tougher bail laws, presenting them as a necessary reform to restore community confidence and improve public safety. However, these policy changes have had predictable consequences. By increasing the number of offenders denied bail and held on remand, they have placed significant additional pressure on a corrections system that already appears to be struggling to keep pace with demand. If the government is serious about community safety, it must also ensure that our prisons, community corrections services and rehab programs have the capacity and resources required to support these reforms effectively. Importantly, Victoria Police leadership has had to remind officers that custody capacity concern must not influence bail decisions; community safety and legislative requirements should always come first.

This highlights a broader problem. If the Carroll government expects more offenders to be held on remand, it must ensure there is significant capacity within the corrections system to accommodate them. When police are required to manage overcrowded cells and supervise prisoners for extended periods, those officers are unavailable to patrol communities, respond to incidents and undertake proactive policing. At a time when Victorians are concerned about crime and police shortages remain a challenge this is a pressure the system can ill afford. This is not simply a corrections issue; it is a community safety issue that is affecting policing capacity across the state. So I ask the minister: what immediate action is the Carroll government taking to expand custody and prison capacity, reduce reliance on police cells and ensure that Victoria Police can focus on keeping communities safe rather than managing an overcrowded corrections system?