Investment in prevention and early intervention is effective system reform.
The case for prevention is not new, but it remains chronically underfunded. Across health, mental health, family violence, youth justice and early childhood, evidence consistently points in the same direction: intervening early – before crises set in – leads to better outcomes for people and communities, and reduces long-term pressure on systems that are already stretched.
Yet budget cycles continue to reward acute response over upstream investment. The result is the perennial ‘ambulance at the bottom of the cliff’ scenario: a system that, at best, helps people when they fall – rather than stopping them from falling in the first place.
The justice system, for example, which is too often the end-point for Victorians who are failed by those other systems, must be reformed to recognise that prevention does not end at the prison gate.
Investment in prevention and early intervention is not a soft alternative to system reform; it is effective system reform. It can reduce the demand on health, justice and welfare systems, and build the community capacity and individual wellbeing that a strong society depends on.
We're calling on all parties and candidates to:
- Invest in the social and economic foundations of health and wellbeing
- Stay the course on nation-leading social policy reform agendas
- Create a justice system that communities can trust
- Safeguard investment in prevention and early intervention
You can read more about this section of our election priorities in the full Election Platform (PDF), section 5.
Read our Election Platform in full