I rise to speak in favour of the Appropriation Bill 2025. This bill was introduced by the Treasurer, Minister for Energy and Minister for Home Ownership and provides for the funding of costs related to delivering departmental services and other administrative items for the 2025-26 financial year. These appropriations are created in consultation with the departments and public servants that keep Queensland moving.
The Crisafulli government has said from the very beginning that we will respect and trust our public servants, and we will continue to do so. I would like to take the opportunity to thank the parliamentary committee staff for all the support they have provided to each of the committees throughout this term so far. As a member of the Justice, Integrity and Community Safety Committee, I am delighted to speak on the broad range of funding that the Crisafulli government has allocated to restore safety where we live.
Queenslanders are aware of what drove me to stand in this House. They recognised that youth crime had reached a crisis point, while the former Labor government defended their poor record after a decade of decline. The LNP government is already delivering for Queenslanders with strong new laws and early intervention programs to curb the youth crime crisis. Youth justice remains a top priority for the Crisafulli government. Over the next five years we will invest $345 million towards rehabilitation programs to break the cycle of reoffending and reintegrate the youths back into their communities. Over the same period, $215 million will be provided towards funding community-led early intervention initiatives. This is welcome news for my community and every community across Australia, I am sure. We are standing with victims every step of the way and putting their rights ahead of the offenders, as it always should have been.
Appropriations for the justice, integrity and community safety portfolio account for approximately 8.62 per cent of the budget, which totals $105.4 billion. This expenditure will ensure that victims are put first and that safety is restored to our communities. For the Department of Justice, this will include $54.4 million over five years and $2.2 million per annum to further resource the justice system. This funding will also support the implementation of Adult Crime, Adult Time and the Making Queensland Safer Laws. There will be $11.6 million allotted over four years to provide enhanced victim support through the Director of Public Prosecutions’ Victim Liaison Service. During estimates the Attorney-General detailed that the former Labor government left the budget in such dire straits that 18 full-time employees were set to lose their jobs in the Victim Liaison Service had the Crisafulli government not been elected.
In the past, I have spoken on victims being left to fall through the cracks of the system, and that is why I am glad that this government is committed to putting victims first and that over the next five years we are contributing $458 million to ensure that victims of crime receive the assistance and advocacy they need. This is meaningful change. This will include: $395 million over two years to enhance support under the Victims of Crime Assistance Act; $50 million over five years to establish a Victims Advocate Service; $12.9 million over four years to expand the Victims of Crime Community Response pilot program; and $2.6 million over four years to support the establishment of a youth justice victims register.
Queenslanders placed their trust in us because they know youth crime is not a media beat-up. That is why we are properly resourcing our police officers and bolstering their numbers with new recruits—with 350 in our first nine months. That is more than double what those opposite were able to achieve in their last four years in government. We are not stopping there; this government is hard at work to ensure we retain our officer numbers. We are delivering better support for our Police Service, with $226.1 million over five years, and $37.6 million to implement the Making Queensland Safer Laws. We are also committing $147.9 million over five years to provide our frontline police with essential equipment they need to keep Queenslanders safe. Our police will also be better resourced to respond to domestic violence, with $37 million allotted over the next four years.
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