While the cynicism that has seen many Canberrans draw a direct connection between the Chief Minister's newfound zeal for ankle bracelets for recidivist criminals and this October's election is understandable, it would be best not to look this gift horse in the mouth.
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Finally, after almost a quarter of a century of kicking this particular can down the road, the ACT government has said it will monitor the movements of criminals considered to be at serious risk of reoffending while out on bail or on parole in real time.
While this technology is not specifically targeted at domestic violence offenders it should make it a lot easier for hundreds of women (and children) across the territory to sleep at night secure in the knowledge the authorities are keeping tabs on those who would do them harm.
That's the theory anyway. Given the ACT government's well-documented litany of administrative and executive failures over more than two decades it is going to have to work hard to convince the public it is capable of successfully administering an ankle bracelet monitoring program.
That lack of confidence is probably not limited to the voting public.
The fact that, until Wednesday, the government's default position was to spend another $297,000 on its third "feasibility study" of ankle bracelets since 2001 suggests those running the show would rather not risk a bungled rollout as well.
Recent events in Western Australia, where a violent, recently-released immigration detainee managed to remove his ankle bracelet without anybody noticing, would be very much front-of-mind on London Circuit. His alleged involvement in a brutal home invasion in which a couple in their 70s were bashed and humiliated has caused no end of embarrassment for the federal government.
Mr Barr, who has decided to shelve the need for further research into a bracelet program in the face of public anger over gender-based violence, has bravely committed to introducing them "within the space of months, not years".
That said, he has left the government plenty of wriggle room, saying: "There is an evaluation process underway as to the best technology [and] there are a number of different systems used."
Mr Barr then speculated about possible partnerships with Tasmania or NSW before stating: "There's a technology and procurement decision ahead."
Whether that gets made before or after the October election remains to be seen.
The good thing about the commitment to monitoring recidivist offenders is that it is at least proactive. That's more than can be said for the announcement of $5000 payments for women "leaving violence" following Wednesday's national cabinet meeting.
What hasn't got an a lot of airtime is that the $925 million program won't start accepting applications until July 2025.
It's no wonder many domestic violence campaigners and crossbenchers, including Teal Zoe Daniels, are saying women have been sold a pup.
The "Leaving Violence Program", which will provide a total of $5000 in assistance made up of $1500 cash and a prepaid $3500 card for specific goods and services, mirrors - and will take the place of - the Escaping Violence [pilot] program introduced by the Morrison government in 2021.
That program has been criticised for the stringency of its criteria with a review finding that of 57,041 applications lodged between July and September in 2023 only 29,437 were deemed eligible.
It seems, as is so often the case when governments are scrambling for announceables, that "everything old is new again".
Women at risk deserve better than this.
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