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Independent Review Panel will enable effective and meaningful youth justice reform
The Victorian Government’s appointment of an Independent Review Panel to deliver its commitment to raising the age of criminal responsibility from 10 is a positive step towards effective and evidence-based justice reform.
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New report highlights just how deep Australia’s wealth divide goes
The latest report from ACOSS and the UNSW's Poverty and Inequality Partnership - of which Jesuit Social Services is a member – finds that the gap between those with the most and those with the least in Australia has blown out over the past two decades, highlighting the role of income support payments, housing, taxation and superannuation policy in the growing divide.
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Stop It Now! Australia is working to keep children safe
One year into delivering the child sexual abuse prevention service Stop it Now! Australia, an anonymous service for people worried about their own or someone else’s sexual thoughts and behaviours in relation to children, preliminary evaluation analysis by the University of Melbourne demonstrates the service is having its intended effect of working with individuals to reduce risk factors and increasing protective factors.
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Bail reform a welcome step in the right direction
The Victorian Government’s introduction of laws to reform the state’s bail system is a welcome step towards ensuring the criminal justice system keeps people who pose no risk to the community away from the harms of the prison system and supports them to reset their lives in community.
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Strengthen supported housing for people with multiple and complex needs
People at risk of homelessness who have multiple and complex needs, including cognitive impairments, must have better access to supported housing that is tailored to their needs to prevent them falling through service gaps and into homelessness, says Jesuit Social Services during Homelessness Week.
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NT’s raising the age to 12 a positive step, but more progress needed
As the Northern Territory prepares to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12 years, the Territory Government must now look at the evidence of what works and raise the age to 14, with no exceptions, as soon as possible.
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Northern Territory must cool Alice Springs Correctional Centre as part of a just transition
The Northern Territory Government must immediately commit to air-conditioning Alice Springs Correctional Centre as one part of a just transition to reduce the climate change-induced impacts of incarceration on some of society’s most marginalised members, says Jesuit Social Services.
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Malmsbury closure means less flexibility in responding to young people
The Victorian Government’s reported decision to close the Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre, and relocate a number of children and young people to the new Cherry Creek facility, is disappointing and allows less flexibility in the way the state supports young people in trouble, says Jesuit Social Services.
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Queensland must to commit to evidence-based justice reform: Jesuit Social Services
While some Australian jurisdictions are taking positive steps towards more humane, evidence-based approaches towards children and young people who have contact with the criminal justice system, Queensland is going backwards with regressive laws that will not support stronger, more cohesive communities.
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National Reconciliation Week an invitation to all Australians to help create a stronger future
National Reconciliation Week’s call for all Australians to be a voice for reconciliation in tangible ways in their everyday lives is a timely reminder that we all have a role to play in creating a stronger, more equitable country. Supporting a constitutionally enshrined First Nations Voice to Parliament will also support shaping a society in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Australians can join together, acknowledging the past and looking to the future, says Jesuit Social Services.