NSW Opposition Leader Peter Debnam today announced a NSW Liberal/Nationals Government would invest $35 million in the future of young people through an expansion of Police and Community Youth Clubs (PCYC) across NSW. 

“This announcement is a continuation of our straightforward plan to stop troubled children becoming criminals,” Mr Debnam said.

“Unlike Labor, I’ve been listening to the community about youth crime. We cannot continue Labor’s ‘softly-softly’ approach of looking the other way,” he said.

“Labor’s system is not working. We need to break the youth crime cycle.

“We need to fix our youth justice system to enable police to intervene early.

“We need to employ more police so they can engage with the community, particularly young people. And we need to support great initiatives like the PCYC, that are focussed on building positive relationships with young people that can help them turn their life around and set them on the right track.

“PCYCs have been providing our youth with an opportunity to experience a range of sporting, artistic and leadership opportunities within a safe, supervised environment for 70 years and I want that to not only continue but be strengthened.

“Today, 59 PCYC’s throughout the state – from Tweed Heads to Albury and Broken Hill to Bateau Bay – are ensuring that young people have positive interaction with police and other authority figures. More young people deserve that opportunity.

“To support PCYC’s in their fantastic work, a NSW Liberal/Nationals Government will provide an additional $35 million over four years to:

• Establish two new PCYC’s per year through joint venture programs with local Councils, contributing up to $1 million in capital funding and 2 additional PCYC Police Officers for each new PCYC; ($8 million over four years);

• Provide an additional 20 Police Officers to the Police Youth Clubs and CSG Police Command; ($8 million over four years);

• Provide $3.5m per year to fund civilian managers for all NSW PCYC’s, allowing Police Officers to focus on working directly with our ‘at risk’ youth rather than filling in paperwork; ($14 million over four years);

• Establish the PCYC Institute to deliver educationally-based, employment-focused programs for up to 100 ‘at risk’ youth giving them the opportunity to establish a career in the fitness and recreation industries at a total cost of $250,000 per year; ($1 million over four years);

• Have suitably qualified Highway Patrol Officers assist PCYCs with driver safety and awareness training

• Provide a capital grant of $4 million towards a new South Sydney PCYC as part of the Indigenous Land Corporation re-development of the former Redfern Public School site, with the funds to be recovered from the eventual sale of the existing PCYC Redfern site; and,

• Establish a working party between PCYC and NSW Police to determine the future relocation of the Parramatta PCYC.

“Many communities throughout NSW want to establish new clubs in their area, including Lake Haven, Castle Hill, Northern Beaches, Hawkesbury District, Camden, Southern Highlands, Narooma, Moruya, Tumut, Walgett, Kyogle, Coonamble, and Brewarrina.

“Under Labor, the only way to get police officers into new PCYCs has been to take them away from existing clubs.

“To end this self-defeating practice, we will allocate an additional 20 Police Officers to the PCYC and CSG Area Command.

“To boost the number of PCYC’s throughout the state, considerable effort has gone into working in partnership with local councils to integrate juvenile crime and ‘youth at risk’ programs in mainstream youth activities.

“In order to assist this process we will establish two new PCYC’s per year through joint venture programs with local councils, contributing up to $1 million in capital funding and 2 additional PCYC Police Officers for each new PCYC.

“A future NSW Liberal/Nationals Government will continue to fund civilian managers for all NSW PCYC’s. This successful pilot project, commenced in 2002, has allowed police officers to focus on assisting our youth. 

“As a result of this pilot project, the number of young offenders being managed by PCYC Police has risen by more than 50 per cent, from 423 to 653, with another 267 ‘youth at risk’ also involved. The success of this program has seen crime reduction rates of more than seventy percent.

“We will work with PCYC to establish the PCYC Institute to provide Certificate II courses in fitness and community recreation for up to 100 ‘at risk’ youth. 

“This educationally-based, employment-focused program will give those who would otherwise not obtain their School Certificate or HSC the opportunity to establish a career in the fitness or recreation industries.

“Under the current Labor Government, the futures of the current PCYC’s in South Sydney and Parramatta have languished under a cloud of uncertainty.  Both of these PCYC buildings need to be replaced.

“We will provide a capital grant of $4 million towards a new South Sydney PCYC as part of the Indigenous Land Corporation re-development of the former Redfern Public School site, with the funds to be recovered from the eventual sale of the existing PCYC Redfern site which is currently owned by the Department of Housing. 

“We are also calling on the City of Sydney to make a $1 million contribution to this project to provide the best possible sport and leisure facilities for the Redfern, Waterloo and Alexandria communities.