Introduction
The Disability Justice Plan for Tasmania 2017-2020 (the Justice Plan) was launched in December 2017, toguide development of a justice system in Tasmania that is responsive to the needs of people with disability and provides equality before the law and equal access to justice. It brings multiple Tasmanian Government agencies and associated justice bodies together to achieve this goal, coordinated overall by the Department of Justice (DoJ).
The Justice Plan’s 14 action areas (covering a total of 37 individual actions) are as follows:
Ensuring that services are disability ready and responsive | Preventing and responding to violence, abuse and neglect |
Responding to the needs of people with disability who are at risk of experiencing family violence | Safeguarding the rights of people with disability to make decisions that affect their lives |
Providing access to advocacy and communication support | Developing disability responsive legal services |
Promoting disability responsive police practices | Implementing disability responsive prosecution services |
Adopting disability responsive court processes | Implementing disability responsive youth justice services |
Promoting the rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders with disability | Providing disability ready and responsive prison services |
Safeguarding the rights of forensic mental health patients | Continuously monitor and improve performance |
The following Tasmanian Government agencies and justice bodies have responsibility for particular actions under the Justice Plan:
- Department of Justice
- Tasmania Police
- Department of Health and Human Services (from 1 July 2018, this Department became two separate Departments – the Department of Health, and the Department of Communities Tasmania)
- Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
- Victims Support Services
- Tasmanian Law Reform Institute
- Legal Aid Community Legal Centres
- Magistrates Court
- Supreme Court
- Community Corrections
- Tasmania Prison Service
- Correctional Primary Health Service
- Mental Health Tribunal
The Premier’s Disability Advisory Council (PDAC) has a formal monitoring role for the Justice Plan’s implementation (Action 37, continuously monitoring and improve performance).
In May 2018, DoJ provided its first report to the Premier’s Disability Advisory Council (PDAC), offering a snapshot of the first steps in the Justice Plan’s implementation. It is an opportunity to reflect on the early progress of action and coordination across agencies, and the opportunities that lie ahead. PDAC commends DoJ and all responsible agencies for their work to realise the Justice Plan’s objectives, and to update the PDAC on this early stage of action.
PDAC’s comments and recommendations focus on ways of working together to set the best possible foundation for implementing and learning from actions under the Justice Plan over the next three years – maximising its positive impact for people with disability, and for access to justice in Tasmania.
The first comprehensive Annual Report on the Justice Plan is due to PDAC in 2019.