ࡱ> CEB5@ bjbj22 .XX 86 ,b 3/ .......$0Rq26. . .HHH  8.zH.HHHv(- v "jĩ .,|$./03/,-|2"2-2-| v THL D ( .. &"  17 April 2024 The Honourable Rob Hulls MP Attorney-General of Victoria Department of Justice Level 1, 55 St Andrews Place Melbourne VIC 3002 Dear Attorney-General Inquiry into the Vagrancy Act 1966 (Vic) We refer to the Government Response to the Victorian Parliaments Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committees Final Report on the Inquiry into the Vagrancy Act 1966 (Vic). We are deeply concerned that the Government proposes to re-enact the offence of begging in the Summary Offences Act 1966 (Vic). We are also concerned that the Government proposes to give further consideration to the offence of consorting, despite the Committees recommendation that the offence be repealed. In your Ministerial Statement you stated that justice is about protecting the rights of all citizens and ensuring that people are treated fairly. The Government Response in relation to begging and consorting is entirely antithetical to this statement. The criminalisation of begging is inconsistent with fundamental human rights principles, including the right to freedom of expression and the right to freedom of association. In some cases, the criminalisation of begging amounts to an infraction of a persons capacity to realise the right to life and the right to an adequate standard of living. The criminalisation of consorting is also a violation of international human rights law, including the right to freedom of association, the right to a presumption of innocence, and the right to freedom from discrimination. The offences of both begging and consorting impact unfairly on people from marginalised and disadvantaged backgrounds. Begging is usually a last resort activity engaged in for the purpose of short-term income supplementation and the satisfaction of basic subsistence needs such as food, accommodation and addictions. There are clear associations between begging, poverty, mental illness, substance addictions and homelessness. The criminalisation of begging is likely to exacerbate these underlying causes. The consorting provisions make it an offence to associate or keep company with disreputable people. They vest law enforcement officers with excessive, arbitrary and discriminatory powers and impact disproportionately on poor people, particularly those that are forced by homelessness to live their private lives in public space. Justice is about protecting the rights of all citizens and ensuring that people are treated fairly, regardless of socio-economic status. International human rights law, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, requires that governments take steps, to the maximum of their available resources, to progressively eradicate poverty and discrimination. International human rights law prohibits punitive responses to poverty and disadvantage. We urge you to honour the commitment of your Ministerial Statement, to respect human rights, to repeal the offences of begging and consorting, and to further develop and implement programs to address the causes of homelessness, poverty and socio-economic disadvantage. We look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely Philip Lynch For and on behalf of: Homeless Persons Legal Clinic Anglicare Victoria Australian Lawyers for Human Rights Barwon South West SAAP Network Centacare, Catholic Diocese of Ballarat Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions Council to Homeless Persons Eastern Tenancy & Housing Flagstaff Support Services Geelong Community Legal Service Grampians SAAP Network Hanover Welfare Services Homeless Peoples Association Liberty Victoria North Melbourne Legal Service Support and Accommodation Rights Service Unitingcare Ballarat Victorian Council of Social Service West Heidelberg Community Legal Service Dr Ray Cleary, Chief Executive Officer, Anglicare Jacqueline Cole, Solicitor Kate Coleman, Chief Executive Officer, Eastern Tenancy & Housing Kate Colvin, Policy Officer, Victorian Council of Social Service Elizabeth Curran, Lecturer in Law, La Trobe University Ken Fernandes, Asia Pacific Coordinator, Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions Anna Fieldhouse, SAAP Network Coordinator Cassandra Goldie, Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law, University of NSW Anne Gosely, Fundraiser, Homeless Peoples Association Adrien Hoel, Solicitor Michael Horn, Manager of Research, Hanover Welfare Services Simon Lenten, Flagstaff Support Services Marina Lewis, SAAP Network Coordinator John Manetta, Barrister Penny Martin, Solicitor Chris Maxwell QC, Barrister Siobhan McCann, Victorian Law Reform Commission Beth Midgley Else van Moorst, Manager, Geelong Community Legal Service Meg Mundell, Youth Policy Officer, Council to Homeless Persons Dan Nicholson, Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions Anne ORourke, Faculty of Business and Economics, Monash University Dianne Otto, Associate Professor of Law, University of Melbourne Michelle Roberts, Solicitor Suzy Schmitz, Solicitor Polat Siva, Solicitor Cath Smith, Executive Director, Victorian Council of Social Service Gary Sullivan, Principal Solicitor, West Heidelberg Community Legal Service Tamara Walsh, Faculty of Law, Queensland University of Technology Sally Weston, Solicitor David Wright-Howie, Policy Officer, Council to Homeless Persons h z   @ A 󷬠{ooaooUoHhh\OJQJaJhhFCJaJhhh*6CJaJhhh*CJaJhhh>B6CJaJhhh>BCJaJhhh*CJaJhh#K6CJaJhh#KCJaJhh>BCJaJhh*OJQJaJhOJQJaJhhOJQJaJhh>BOJQJaJhh#KOJQJaJ  S  KLM+:aq dxgd dxgdFxgd\dxxx  H N R S   & I l =JKMC*+:ƺti`hCJaJhhK-6CJaJhhh#K6CJaJhhK-CJaJhhhrCJaJhhh8CJaJhh#KCJaJhhh\CJaJhhh6CJaJhhhFOJQJaJhhF56OJQJaJhhF6OJQJaJhh\6OJQJaJ":n9a 3Zvq źyqyi`iXhCJaJhU5CJaJhUCJaJh^cCJaJhCJaJh5CJaJh5CJaJh@5CJaJh^c5CJaJh5CJaJhh#K5CJaJhh#KCJaJhh#KOJQJaJhh8CJaJhhh#KCJaJhhK-CJaJhhhCJaJh"qrstgd^gdx ,`l()8Rc&'3OP\v9:ExyĻݳĻݢwݢh}%5CJaJh}%CJaJh/5CJaJh/CJaJh^c5CJaJh^cCJaJhU5CJaJhUCJaJh@5CJaJh@CJaJh5CJaJhCJaJhCJaJh5CJaJhCJaJh5CJaJ.y34DP\ghr}~ OP\ghzĻĻijբՍwsohh\hh\CJaJhh#KCJaJhh#K5CJaJh}%5CJaJh}%CJaJhU5CJaJhUCJaJhu5CJaJhuCJaJh5CJaJhCJaJh75CJaJh7CJaJh^cCJaJh^c5CJaJ%/ =!"#$%<@< NormalCJ_HmH sH tH P@P Heading 1$<@&5CJKHOJQJN@N Heading 2$<@&56CJOJQJD@D Heading 3$@&5CJOJQJDAD Default Paragraph FontViV  Table Normal :V 44 la (k(No List 4@4 Header  !4 @4 Footer  !d@d Normal Indentd8d^CJOJQJmH sH tH unO2n AAR Heading 1$ & F'd8h&d5CJOJQJmH sH tH uhOh AAR Heading 2$ & F'd85CJOJQJmH sH tH ufOBf AAR Heading 3 & F'd8d@&CJOJQJmH sH tH ufORf AAR Heading 4 & F'd8d@&CJOJQJmH sH tH ufObf AAR Heading 5 & F'd8d@&CJOJQJmH sH tH ufOrf AAR Heading 6 & F'd8d@&CJOJQJmH sH tH u\\  Footnote Text d8dCJOJQJmH sH tH u@&@ Footnote ReferenceH*DB@D Body TextdhCJOJQJhTC@T Body Text Indentx^ CJOJQJH@H  Balloon TextCJOJQJ^JaJ.SK L M + : a q r s t 0000p00000(0000000p00000000p000p0p0@0My0L : yq #2#2#2w#2>!#2|!#2<#2t"#2L!CCkkaKK~l9*urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttagsState>*urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags PersonName8*urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttagsdate8*urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttagsCity9*urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttagsplace:*urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttagsStreet;*urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttagsaddress 1720034DayMonthYear!!0IU: @  r}| hmuzt33 .........user;[3ι\}'SzYι\}$)ι\}y0ι\}*ι\}!)K ι\}15 ι\}b] ι\}]ι\}I {Cι\}1qι\}Gι\}.@HӒH8+ ι\}.ι\}Joι\}b'! &!ι\}N$ o'ι\} 'ι\}~(ι\}?*ι\}[qW+ι\}ZW.ι\}p6/ι\}h1ι\}`@3ι\}Tm=ι\}f:>ι\}2JGι\}1Gι\}! 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