Jesuit Social Services welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee’s Inquiry into Australia’s youth justice and incarceration system.
This Inquiry follows the release of the National Children’s Commissioner’s report, ‘Help way earlier!’ How Australia can transform child justice to improve safety and wellbeing, which has extensive advice on the elements necessary for a transformation of the child justice system that would see children’s rights respected and communities safer.
Jesuit Social Services supports the National Children’s Commissioner’s call for a concerted national approach to child justice reform, including a Cabinet Minister for Children and a National Taskforce to coordinate the various parts of reform.
Our submission argues that the evidence for what’s required for a fairer, safer and better system has been available for some time – what is required now is a genuine commitment to protecting children’s rights and implementing the changes required to achieve this.
A range of specific reforms flow from this genuine commitment.