The National Network welcomes Government attention on what is undeniably one of Australia’s national shames – the so-called ‘youth justice’ system. However, the announcement of yet another Senate inquiry leaves us feeling tired and cynical. ‘We have seen these inquiries before, and they invariably fall short. The recent inquiry into murdered and disappeared Indigenous women produced only 10 lukewarm recommendations, heavily leaning on carceral solutions,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘What we need is action, not repetition. Even in proposing this new inquiry, the language used by the Greens—terms like ‘youth’ and ‘detention’—reflects the euphemistic vocabulary of the carceral system. It downplays the severity of the violence perpetrated by the State,’ said Debbie Kilroy. ‘Let’s be clear: we are talking about children in prisons. The use of softer terminology shields the reality that these facilities function like adult prisons, subjecting children to environments of violence and harm,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘Right now, we have children being killed in custody. We need to take bold, decisive and swift action, there is no time for equivocation,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘As a National Network, we caution the Senate against another inquiry that simply rehashes statistics and evidence we already have. If this inquiry is to be genuinely useful, it must confront the root causes of the problem,’ said Tabitha Lean. ‘We must be willing to lift the veil on the criminal legal system and its failings. This inquiry must radically rethink justice so that our children are kept where they belong—in our homes, our communities, and our schools, not in cages,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘We need to think beyond carceral solutions. It is time to break the cycle of relying on prisons, so called detention centres, and punishment-based models that fail our children,’ said Tabitha Lean. ‘If this inquiry is serious, it must be bold enough to imagine a system where justice means healing, where accountability does not equal incarceration, and where every child is given the chance to thrive within their community,’ said Tabitha Lean.
The National Network is ready to advocate for this shift and demands that the Senate be prepared to lead the way.
For further comment, please contact Debbie Kilroy on 0419 762 474 or Tabitha Lean on 0499 780 226
