Friday January 31st marked the 20th anniversary of the Restorative Justice Scheme in the ACT. This nation-leading transformative initiative has provided opportunities for victims of crime to meet with the person responsible and hold them accountable in a way that is safe, respectful and meaningful to them. It has also provided an opportunity for people responsible for crime to be accountable for their actions and take meaningful steps toward repairing the harm caused or addressing the causes of their offending behaviour. Over the 20 years of the scheme thousands of Canberrans have taken up this opportunity and experienced the benefits. Since restorative justice legislation commenced on 31 January 2005, the Restorative Justice Unit has convened more than 1,124 face-to-face conferences involving 5,882 victims of crime and 4,047 offenders. Compliance with outcomes has been consistently high, at 96 per cent in 2023-24, with participant satisfaction reliably between 95 and 99 per cent across the life of the scheme.Attorney-General Tara Cheyne said these results are testament to the scheme’s success. “Two things are particularly impressive about the birth, maturation, and continuous improvement of the ACT’s Restorative Justice Scheme. Firstly, its bottom-up leadership came from so many civil society leaders, leadership that continues today through the Canberra Restorative Community. Secondly, the top-down political leadership was admirably bipartisan.” Professor John Braithwaite, researcher at the ANU Centre for Restorative Justice commented “We made mistakes, particularly in the years before the ACT Restorative Justice Act, when our initiatives were just pilots. The world learnt from our mistakes thanks to the research of the ANU Centre for Restorative Justice. But our local political leaders did not exploit them in partisan ways that might have blown up Canberra’s great journey of reform. It has been a journey of Canberra at its best top-down and bottom-up as a champion of a worldwide experimental reform.”
“The success of the ACT Restorative Justice Unit comes not just from the innovative nature of the legislation which governs it, but from a deep commitment to those administering the scheme to provide a safe and robust process for victims of crime to be heard.” Dymphna Lowrey, founding convenor of the ACT Restorative Justice Unit “The importance and value of restorative practices is more relevant than ever in addressing social and personal harms.” “The government’s commitment to restorative justice has not only strengthened our justice system but has also fostered a culture of empathy and accountability, cementing Canberra’s reputation as an innovative jurisdiction” Attorney-General Cheyene commented “As we celebrate this milestone, we look forward to continuing our work to support and build-on restorative justice to provide those seeking accountability, healing and restoration with this valuable forum.” The Territory’s journey toward restorative justice began in 1994 with the adoption of a pre-court diversionary conferencing program by ACT Policing, inspired by a similar program run by NSW Police in Wagga Wagga. The success of this program was established through a series of randomised controlled trials run in collaboration with the Australian National University. A decade later the Crimes (Restorative Justice) Act was enacted, paving the way for the Restorative Justice Unit to begin operating in January 2005. Throughout the years, as confidence in the scheme grew, the Restorative Justice Unit has progressively grown its services to help more Canberrans have their needs met in the aftermath of crime:
- Phase 1 (2005-2016): Exclusive focus on young offenders and less serious offences
- Phase 2 (2016): Expansion to include adult offenders and serious offences
- Phase 3 (2018): Allowing victims of any offence, including domestic, family, and sexual violence, to access restorative justice
Looking ahead, the ACT Government remains committed to supporting restorative justice accessibility. The findings from recent evaluations and independent research will assist the Government in considering future developments. This is timely opportunity to revisit its role and how it can best meet community needs and the Government’s broader objectives.