2026-09-11
The Victorian Greens have welcomed the long overdue passage of reforms to decriminalise begging and void outdated historic imprisonment warrants for unpaid fines after years of advocacy from the Greens and community legal organisations.
The Greens were proud to support amendments in Parliament today to decriminalise begging and stop people being thrown in jail for something that should be shown compassion instead. This comes after the Greens have moved their own amendments to decriminalise begging many times, which Labor blocked.
The Greens have campaigned to decriminalise begging for more than a decade, with former Greens justice spokesperson Sue Pennicuik introducing legislation to repeal the offence in 2016 and local Greens MP Ellen Sandell campaigning heavily on the issue as far back as 2017. At the time, Labor explicitly rejected the Greens’ push.
Quotes attributable to Victorian Greens leader Ellen Sandell MP:
“For more than a decade, the Greens and I have fought to end these cruel and outdated laws.
People who are begging should be treated with compassion not threatened with jail time, and I’m proud to have stood with people experiencing homelessness and the community legal sector to push for this important change to our laws.
“When the Greens introduced legislation to decriminalise begging back in 2016, Labor refused to support it. We didn’t give up, and we’re incredibly pleased that this reform has finally become law.”
Quotes attributable to Victorian Greens justice spokesperson Katherine Copsey MLC:
“Being poor should never have been a crime. Asking another person for help should never have put someone at risk of a fine, a criminal record or prison.
“It’s well past time to recognise that in a wealthy country, poverty is a failure of governments, not individuals.
“People begging on our streets need housing, income and support - not police, courts and punishment. Criminalising poverty only pushes people already doing it tough further into the justice system.
“This reform has been a long time coming, and it is a testament to the advocates, legal services and people with lived experience who have fought for a more compassionate justice system.”