Submission: Inquiry into Australia's youth justice and incarceration system

The Australian Human Rights Commission (Commission) makes this submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs (Committee) in relation to its inquiry into the Australia's youth justice and incarceration system.

This submission draws on the recently released Commission report, ‘Help way earlier!’: How Australia can transform child justice to improve safety and wellbeing (‘Help way earlier!’).

‘Help way earlier!’ investigates opportunities for reform of child justice and related systems across Australia, based on evidence and the protection of human rights. It is the result of a project undertaken by the National Children’s Commissioner (NCC) in 2023–24. The project included a submissions process, consultations with children and young people, families and community members, and interviews and roundtables with government and non-government stakeholders across Australia. 

The Commission recommends that the Committee endorses the 24 recommendations made in the ‘Help Way Earlier!’ report which provide an evidence base for how Australia can transform child justice to improve the safety and wellbeing of Australia’s children.

For more detail than provided in this submission, please see the report and associated resources on the Commission website:

• Full report: 'Help way earlier!’ How Australia can transform child justice to 
improve safety and wellbeing
• Executive summary: ‘Help way earlier!’
• Easy read: About the report by the National Children’s Commissioner’
• Easy read: Recommendations to make the child justice system better
• Submissions: ‘Help way earlier!’