Skip Ribbon Commands
Skip to main content
MENU
Skip Navigation LinksHome Legislative Assembly

<b>LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY</b> - Signing ePetition

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY - Signing ePetition - A Drug Court for the Illawarra and South Coast Region

To sign the ePetition, confirm you are a resident of New South Wales and enter your title, first name and last name. Once you click ‘submit’ you will have signed the ePetition and will be re-directed to the Legislative Assembly’s ‘ePetitions open for signature’ page

A Drug Court for the Illawarra and South Coast Region

To the Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly, The undersigned petitioners urge the consideration of expanding the NSW Drug Court to the Illawarra and South Coast regions. Currently operating in Sydney, Parramatta, Toronto, and Dubbo, the Drug Court has shown significant positive impacts. Evaluations indicate that participants experience a 17% lower re-offending rate and take 22% longer to commit certain offences compared to those not in the program. The Illawarra and South Coast is the next logical location for the Drug Court, as Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) data reveals higher offending rates than the NSW average. Key findings from a five-year trend up to March 2024 include: 1. Increased rates of amphetamine possession and use since March 2019. 2. Higher-than-average rates for possession and use of cocaine, narcotics, cannabis, ecstasy, and other drugs in the past year. 3. Elevated rates of theft from motor vehicles and retail stores. 4. A 13% increase in non-domestic violence-related assaults. There is a strong correlation between the addiction to prohibited drugs and the commission of crime within a local community. A Drug Court helps the community as a whole. It helps offenders, their families, victims of crime and, through indirect ways, every person who lives in the community in which the Drug Court operates. We request that the Legislative Assembly call on the Government to allocate funding for the expansion of the NSW Drug Court to the Illawarra and South Coast regions.

Name
Title
First name*
Family name *
Contact
Email*


The Parliament of New South Wales acknowledges and respects the traditional lands of all Aboriginal people, and pays respects to all Elders past and present. We acknowledge the Gadigal people as the traditional custodians of the land on which the Parliament of New South Wales stands.