Our laws must always uphold the inviolable dignity of every human being — and most especially those at the margins of society. As the Church has recently restated, every human person possesses an infinite dignity that is grounded in their very being and that prevails “in and beyond every circumstance, state, or situation the person may ever encounter.”
That dignity is not earned, and it cannot be forfeited. It belongs as fully to the person begging on the street as to anyone else.
Catholic Social Services Victoria (CSSV) welcomes the repeal of the offence of begging within the Summary Offences Act 1966 on Thursday, 10 September, as a step towards recognising dignity, and away from the criminalisation of poverty.
In the midst of a housing and homelessness crisis, with almost 60,000 people on the social housing waitlist and the lowest percentage of social housing of any state, Victoria had remained one of the few Australian jurisdictions to still treat begging as a criminal offence.
Many of CSSV’s 40 member organisations work every day with people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. To meet a person in destitution with a criminal sanction did nothing to support them, nor did it help create safer communities. This reform means that people experiencing hardship will no longer face a criminal sanction for asking others for help in public spaces.
All people should be able to feel a sense of community and belonging in Victoria. Through the daily work of social services, community groups and faith organisations, we know that safety is built by actively working together for deeper encounter – not by confiscating belongings, pushing those on the margins further out of sight, or locking people away. Community connection, support and pathways towards positive change are both what dignity requires and what evidence shows is more likely to make communities safer and stronger.
CSSV Executive Director, Josh Lourensz, says
“The right, and effective, response is connection — to services, to housing, to support — not punishment. The repeal of this anachronistic offence matters: it allows us to have a broader conversation about the dignity of each human person, at a time when some local governments are taking increasingly punitive approaches to people experiencing homelessness within their jurisdictions, including the confiscation of personal property. By repealing this offence, the Parliament has sent a clear signal that poverty is not a crime, and that there are better ways to respond to those doing it tough.”
CSSV calls on Parliamentarians to place human dignity at the centre of all lawmaking, meeting the needs of Victorians with support for a hope-filled future.
For enquiries and further comment please contact:
Joshua Lourensz, CSSV Executive Director
Phone: (03) 9287 5566 Email: office@css.org.au Web: www.css.org.au