A candidate affiliated with the One Nation party has proposed a program that would involve drug-addicted prisoners performing supervised labor on farms to address regional worker shortages. Chris Burson, an upper house candidate for the Western Victoria Region, made the suggestion in 2022 during a podcast interview. Burson, a former police officer and Australian Defence Force member, argued that the current incarceration system fails to rehabilitate offenders and often leads to repeat criminal activity.

Burson suggested that instead of serving traditional jail time, individuals struggling with addiction could be assigned to agricultural work in rural areas where there is a high demand for labor, particularly on farms that rely heavily on migrant workers. He emphasized that such a program would not resemble traditional chain gangs but would instead be a constructive alternative to imprisonment. The candidate also noted that participation would be supervised and could potentially be used as a means for offenders to pay off fines.

“We’re paying a fortune for these guys to go to jail to then come out and recommit offences,” Burson said. “If we managed to have some sort of, I mean, not an actual chain gang, but if you have them out picking fruit, doing whatever, it gets them away from the environment that they’re in. You could then have people speak to them and try to get them to get ahead, and if they enjoy it, they might even move rurally and be working there and have an actual job.” He added that many of these individuals have never held a job or had someone care for them.

At the time of making the remarks, Burson was a candidate for the now-defunct Angry Victorians Party. He has since joined One Nation and currently serves as a councillor for the City of Greater Geelong. Burson credited his experience in the Victorian Police’s Public Order Response Team and Critical Incident Response Team during the COVID-19 pandemic for inspiring his views on criminal justice reform.

One Nation is campaigning on a tough-on-crime platform ahead of the Victorian state election. Polling data indicates the party holds approximately 22 percent of the primary vote in the region.

Separately, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has been active in the campaign trail, participating in public events including a go-kart ride at Beckley Park in Corio and a campaign launch at Crown, followed by a sold-out barbecue event. The party has used these events to emphasize its readiness to contest the upcoming election.

The proposal to involve drug-addicted offenders in supervised rural labor has sparked discussion about alternative approaches to incarceration and rehabilitation, balancing the need for criminal justice reform with concerns over community safety and the rights of those affected.