Media releases Archives - Page 2 of 33

Urgent Independent Inquiry into the systems that are failing Northern Territory’s children needed
- 12 May 2026
The Northern Territory Government must heed the calls from the Northern Territory Children’s Commissioner, Shahleena Musk, and National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People, Sue-Anne Hunter, to halt proposed legislative reforms and instead call an independent inquiry led by the Commissioners.
Victoria’s Budget misses the mark on fairness, prevention and early intervention
- 5 May 2026
The Victorian Government’s 2026 State Budget includes some positive measures to address current cost-of-living challenges but is ultimately a missed opportunity to invest more into prevention and early intervention in relation to crime and to support stronger communities, says Jesuit Social Services.
Plan to jail even more children won’t reduce youth crime
- 15 April 2026
The Victorian Opposition's plan to expand the already concerning ‘adult time for violent crime’ laws to cover twice as many offences, should it win November’s state election, would be a backwards step and fail to reduce youth crime from occurring in the first place.
Misguided ‘tough on crime’ policies leading to Closing the Gap failures
- 19 March 2026
As Australia marks National Closing the Gap Day, new data released by the Productivity Commission’s Closing the Gap dashboard shows that Australia is on track to meet only four of the 19 targets and that Australia is going backwards on key targets - the rate of suicide, adult imprisonment, the number of children developmentally on…
The Victorian Government’s bail reforms are creating unsafe and unacceptable conditions
- 24 February 2026
Severe and dangerous overcrowding in Victoria’s police cells is a result of bail reforms introduced last year and there is an urgent need for a change in direction from the Government.
More beds at Malmsbury a sign of failure, not success
- 19 February 2026
The expansion of Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre is a significant investment at the wrong end of the system using money that would be far better spent on evidence-based solutions that prevent crime from occurring.
Jesuit Social Services calls for NT Government to end the transportation and imprisonment of children far away from their families
- 6 February 2026
Jesuit Social Services is calling on the Northern Territory Government to end the practice of imprisoning children from Central Australia in facilities in Darwin and to accept the five recommendations from a new report from the NT Office of the Children’s Commissioner.
New data highlights the shocking impact of costly and ineffective of tough on crime policies on First Nations peoples
- 4 February 2026
New data released by the Productivity Commission as part of its annual Report on Government Services shows that Australia’s over reliance on incarceration is costly, ineffective, and is disproportionately impacting First Nations Australians.
‘Adult time for violent crime’ laws won’t reduce youth crime or improve community safety
- 12 November 2025
The Victorian Government’s plan to introduce ‘adult time for violent crime’ laws – which could see children aged 14 sentenced to life in prison – is deeply concerning, will not make the community safer and is incompatible with the fundamental rights of children.
Closing the Gap report highlights need for national leadership on children and young people
- 1 August 2025
The Productivity Commission’s annual Closing the Gap report finds that just four of 19 targets are on track to be met, and that outcomes are worsening across a range of indicators for Aboriginal children and young people, demonstrating the need for Federal leadership to ensure vulnerable individuals, families and communities are supported to thrive.