"It’s hard to think of a better way to spend a dollar than taking dangerous criminals off the streets," says ACT Leader David Seymour, welcoming a $1.9 billion investment to expand prison capacity and deliver frontline Corrections officers.

“Today’s announcement delivers on ACT’s coalition commitment to increase funding for the Department of Corrections to ensure there is sufficient prison capacity as required.

“Labour’s anti-prison agenda was a disastrous display of ideology over realism. The first and most important job of the state is to keep its citizens safe from those who would do them harm, and sometimes this means locking up criminals.

“This is exactly why we pay taxes. The human cost of being a victim is nothing compared to the cost of imprisoning criminals, and we won’t have a functioning economy if people don’t feel safe doing business in their communities.

“This additional funding also paves the way for other ACT initiatives. The abolition of Labour’s prisoner reduction target was delivered as part of ACT’s coalition agreement. As Associate Justice Minister, Nicole McKee is restoring Three Strikes for serious violent and sexual offending and making gang membership an aggravating factor at sentencing. And ACT MP Todd Stephenson has a member’s bill before select committee that would make rehabilitation courses or education a condition of parole.”

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