Open letter to Hon Sonya Kilkenny MP, Attorney‑General for Victoria
Open letter in support of repeal of anti-begging law – s 49A Summary Offences Act 1966
(Vic)
Dear Attorney-General,
We, the undersigned, are a collection of community legal centres and human rights advocates providing frontline services and advocacy for Victoria’s most vulnerable community members.
We call for the removal of the offence of begging or gathering alms from Victoria’s criminal law by repealing s49A of the Summary Offences Act 1966 (Vic). We urge the Government to end the criminalisation of begging in Victoria and to align the state’s approach with the majority of other Australian states and territories, noting in particular the recent decriminalisation of begging in Queensland and Tasmania in 2024.
Laws which criminalise begging:
- Punish and vilify highly vulnerable members of our community;
- Are ineffective and fail to address the underlying causes of begging. In fact, they exacerbate hardship;
- Impose needless burden on state resources, particularly the courts and the fines enforcement system.
In the current housing and cost of living crises, we urge the government to respond to hardship within our community through investment in frontline support services and housing, and not by punishing poverty.