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ABC News
7 days ago
- Politics
- ABC News
'You can get failed by systems': We say we care about victim-survivors of violence and yet we jail them as kids - ABC Religion & Ethics
There is a contradiction at the heart of Australian government policy that is directly harming our most vulnerable children and young people. Federal and state governments across the country are committed to ending domestic, family and sexual violence. This is vital work with a range of actions underway and many more needed. At the same time, these same governments are undermining this work by pursuing some of the most punitive and draconian youth justice policies in recent decades. The children they are locking up are — more often than not — victims of family violence or other forms of child abuse, first, and have engaged in criminal activity, second. According to data from the Victorian Youth Parole Board, over 60 per cent of children in custody in 2023–2024 had experienced abuse, trauma or neglect. Jesuit Social Services' own data shows that 74 per cent of participants in our adult justice programs reported being a victim of family violence — more often than not, the violence occurred in childhood. If only the response to children's victimisation was as swift and well-resourced as the subsequent justice response to their offending. All too often these young people will be asked to answer for their own use of violence — in police interview rooms and in children's court processes — well before anyone seeks to ask about their risks and needs as victim-survivors of violence. On that, our system response remains distinctly silent. It's perhaps unsurprising then that a 16-year-old told the South Australian Royal Commission in a report launched recently, 'you can get failed by systems … we need the government and people just to realise … most kids don't get heard and listened to'. The focus is on punishment, not healing. Violence, substance use and disengagement from education are not signs of moral failings, but often indicators of prior victimisation. As one 18-year-old also told the Royal Commission, 'being abused has a way of messing up one's life'. Yet our youth justice system routinely criminalises the consequences of untreated trauma. Punitive legislative and policy changes Australia's National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children pledges to recognise children as victim-survivors in their own right. Yet, in the three years since the plan's introduction, state policy and investment has all too often prioritised youth detention beds over safe and supported accommodation for young people, expanded policing powers for young offenders over early intervention programs, and introduced regressive youth sentencing practices over investments in trauma-informed crisis care for child victims. Indeed, there has been a wave of legislative and policy changes that have expanded the reach and severity of youth justice systems across Australia. These include raising maximum penalties, limiting access to bail and funnelling hundreds of millions of dollars into expanding detention capacity. In Queensland, as part of new legislation which expressly breaches Australia's international children's rights and domestic human rights obligations, the government has sought to retrofit police watch houses for children in conflict with the law, and to build new high-security youth detention centres. These Queensland reforms are not an anomaly. In Victoria — a state once praised for its progressive stance on youth justice — the state's youth prison capacity is being expanded following legislation the government proudly proclaimed to be the nation's toughest bail laws for youth offenders. This approach to youth justice is a deliberate choice to demonise and punish young people rather than doing the meaningful work of intervening earlier with a focus on a child's healing and recovery. We acknowledge that there is no 'quick fix' to current youth crime community concerns. But the Victoria's 'tough on crime' approach — focused on maximising a child's time in contact with the justice system and holding them in environments that breed violence — will undoubtedly foster the next generation of abuse and harm. The average stay in detention for Victorian children is approximately 70 days, following which they return to the community. The more time a child spends in detention, the more likely they are to reoffend when they get out. We see this in the data, and we hear this from Jesuit Social Services staff. Time spent in prison does little to help address any underlying issues — in fact, it entrenches them — and comes at a significant cost of around $8,000 per day for each child. This is funding that could be redirected to much needed early intervention and recovery services. We must demand better for vulnerable children We all want less violence and fewer victims of crime. Having spoken directly with members of our community who fear for their safety, we understand the public want to see action in response to recent crimes committed by young people. And yet, our governments are progressing solutions we know will fail. We need a fundamental shift away from punitive, carceral approaches and towards therapeutic responses grounded in the needs of children and young people. There is a dearth of family violence support services designed for child victim-survivors, culturally safe healing models and supported housing across Australia. Models such as restorative justice, therapeutic jurisprudence and community-led diversion programs offer more effective alternatives to incarceration. These approaches not only address the underlying causes of harmful behaviour, but also support accountability, healing and longer-term community safety. Particular attention must be given to the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, who remain vastly over-represented in youth justice systems across Australia. These children are far more likely to experience intergenerational trauma, systemic racism and family violence. They are also more likely to be met with criminalisation rather than care. The current trend towards punitive youth justice reforms risks further entrenching these cycles of harm. So many of our federal and state parliamentarians want the best for our country — particularly for our children. Yet, as a direct outcome of reactive political choices, children who — like us all — want to be loved, safe and heard are being cast aside and told that they only belong in prison. We are witnessing a profound violation of human rights play out under our noses. It must stop. The evidence on what is needed is clear. More and more, our political leaders will lead only when their hand is forced. Absent this, they risk being paralysed by fears of public backlash. The responsibility then is on each of us — to speak up and demand better for Australia's most vulnerable children. Kate Fitz-Gibbon is Principal Consultant at Sequre Consulting and a Professor (Practice) with the Faculty of Business and Economics at Monash University. Matt Tyler is Executive Director of The Men's Project at Jesuit Social Services, leading efforts to prevent men's violence and abuse.
ABC News
03-06-2025
- General
- ABC News
Police investigate suspected youth machete attack in Shepparton
Two teenage males have been injured during a suspected machete attack in Shepparton, in Victoria's north. Police say a group of 20 youths set upon the two teenagers near a bridge off the Midland Highway about 4pm on Monday. They were taken to Goulburn Valley Hospital. The Victorian government announced a ban on the sale of machetes across the state last week, following a brawl in a Melbourne shopping centre. Jesuit Social Services strategy project lead David Murray works with marginalised young people and said he was concerned about their ability to access machetes and knives. "Machetes, of course, have other uses and to limit the supply, that's helpful, but it's not going to prevent this kind of behaviour," he said. "The knives that are being sold in some of these places are ridiculous. Mr Murray said Victoria had a strong diversionary process when it came to youth and the legal system. "That means that perhaps when someone is caught up in a group event like this and comes to the notice of the police, it is an opportunity for a conversation with their family, school and other key adults in their life," he said. "To say, 'OK, do you really want to be doing this? Do you really want to end up where this ends up?'" The Shepparton assault on Monday follows another alleged machete incident in a Warrnambool car park in the south-west of the state last week. A 19-year-old man was denied bail after he was charged with aggravated carjacking, assault and possessing a prohibited weapon following the alleged incident involving a machete on the afternoon of May 24. Restaurant owner Mitchell Spencer told the ABC's Victorian Statewide Drive program he was loading groceries into his car when he heard a horn and shouting. Mr Spencer said he held the alleged offender until police arrived, and only thought of his own safety when he called his mother afterwards. "Truthfully I didn't really think about it at the time, I just had a job to do," he said. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said in a statement there was no place for machetes in Victoria. "We are getting these dangerous weapons off our streets," she said.
The Guardian
19-03-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Youth crime prevention programs face axe as Victorian government funding dwindles
Several programs supporting young people at risk of reoffending will be cut unless the Victorian government increases funding, as it can be revealed the state awarded only one new crime prevention grant in the past financial year. It comes as Labor's controversial 'tough' bail laws edge closer to passing parliament on Thursday, amid ongoing debate over what some have labelled a 'youth crime crisis' in the state. When announcing the new bail laws last week, the premier, Jacinta Allan, said her government had already made 'substantial reform' to the youth justice system in 2024, which was accompanied with 'additional resources for programs that are focused on looking at what more can be done to divert young people away from crime'. But those working in crime prevention are now sounding the alarm about dwindling funding for programs addressing the root causes of youth offending. Jesuit Social Services has warned the organisation will be forced to cut an after-hours program for young people with criminal justice system involvement unless the government provides additional support in its May budget, while two other programs aimed at curbing youth offending are also expected to end in June without further funding. The Victorian government has slashed resources for community crime prevention programs in recent years as it works to bring its budget under control, with only $12.9m allocated in 2024/25, a 46% reduction from the previous financial year. It opted instead to allocate $6.6m to police to run an early intervention program and $34.4m for a two-year trial of ankle bracelets, which was panned by legal groups. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email The Department of Justice and Community Safety awarded just one grant in 2024/25, despite awarding $126m to 1,729 projects since 2011 through its Community Crime Prevention Program. The 14-person team that previously administered the grants was disbanded last year. The opposition leader, Brad Battin, said he was deeply concerned that the root causes of crime were not being addressed by the state government. 'In the past 18 months, the government has cut more funding for crime prevention – only to see crime increase. And now, we'll see more young people in prison, costing Victorian taxpayers even more,' he said. Battin said while the Coalition supported stronger bail conditions, there needed to be more investment in intervention programs for youth at risk of entering the justice system. 'We need to ensure these young people go back through the education system, have employment opportunities, or get access to the services they need – especially for mental health support,' he said. The Youth Junction's Youth Umbrella Project Wyndham was the sole recipient of new funding from the Department of Justice and Community Safety in 2024/25, receiving a $195,500 grant. But two other programs at the centre – the Youth Behavioural Change Program and NorthWest Safe – have only continued using cash reserves and are expected to end in June unless further investment is secured. Eamon Brockenbrough, program manager at the Youth Junction, said the programs 'welcome young people facing tough challenges – many caught up in court matters involving family tensions or making risky choices'. He said 84% of participants stayed clear of further offending, with 73% engaging in prosocial activities. 'Rather than defining them by these moments, we see the whole person – their strengths, their dreams, and their capacity for positive change,' Brockenbrough said. Positive outcomes were also seen at Living Free, a project in Frankston that ended in June 2024 due to lack of funding. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion The project, which worked with girls at risk of criminal justice involvement or sexual exploitation, wrote to both the state and commonwealth governments for funding throughout 2023 and 2024 but received no support. Sarah Covill, general manager for youth justice programs at Jesuit Social Services, said the organisation's after-hours program has provided intensive support to 60 young people aged 10–21 involved with the criminal justice system since 2019. She said it offers practical support, a sense of community belonging and 'opportunities to build a positive, non-offending identity'. But funding constraints have limited the service's ability to meet demand and it is currently able to support only 40% of the young people in need across metropolitan Melbourne. Without additional funding beyond 30 June, the after-hours program will end, creating a 'critical service gap' that could have 'significant impacts' on young people most at risk of reoffending and their communities. While Anglicare has been spared from recent cuts, its chief executive, Paul McDonald, expressed concern about the lack of funding for evidence-based programs that reduce contact with police and the justice system. He said while the government has piloted such models leading to a 'reduction in arrests and offending from many of the young people involved', it had been 'shy or resistant' to invest in proven programs that could make a difference 'at scale'. The Victorian Greens justice spokesperson, Katherine Copsey, said if the premier was concerned about improving community safety and not 'the optics', she should 'listen to the evidence and fund these programs we know are proven to work'. In a statement, the minister for police, community safety and victims, Anthony Carbines, said the government was providing police with 'the resources they need to protect Victorians and prevent crime' including 'programs that address the root causes of reoffending'. 'The justice system will be resourced adequately in response to the expected increase in remand numbers from our law changes,' he said.
