Australian Human Rights Commission Report on Youth Justice outlines need for urgent change – SNAICC in the News

SNAICC in the News – Australian Human Rights Commission Report on Youth Justice outlines need for urgent change

A new report from the Australian Human Rights Commission has outlined the need for significant changes to how our federal, state and territory governments approach child justice and the wellbeing of children who are or who are at risk of being caught up in the criminal justice system.

CEO of SNAICC, Catherine Liddle commented on the new report on youth justice, ‘Help way earlier!’ How Australia can transform child justice to improve safety and wellbeing, which outlines 24 recommendations focusing on elevating child justice and wellbeing to be a national priority, coordinating action across Australia’s federation, and ensuring reform of our child justice systems is based on evidence and human rights.

Access to quality childcare is increasingly critical to Australian children, families and the economy. In the first research of its kind in Australia, the Mitchell Institute has examined access to childcare in over 50,000 neighbourhoods across the country.

The report found a third of Australians are living in childcare deserts. A childcare desert is a region where three or more children under four years of age were vying for everyone childcare space available. Shockingly, one million Australians have no access to childcare.

In response Catherine Liddle spoke on ABC Breakfast explaining that the report highlights that early childhood education and care services continue to remain less accessible in regional, rural and outer-suburban areas of Australia than in urban areas.

Education Minister Jason Clare recently said access to education should not depend on your postcode or the colour of your skin. This compelling report demonstrates that this is the case for many Australians, and the nation’s model for early education needs to change.

For complete coverage, read the news and media stories linked below.

Topic: Australian Human Rights Commission Report on Youth Justice

‘Help way earlier!’ How Australia can transform child justice to improve safety and wellbeing, released by the Australian Human Rights Commission, demonstrates the impacts of the social determinants of justice and the role of racism, poverty and trauma in child justice.

After the release of a national repot into youth justice, SNAICC CEO Catherine Liddle says efforts should be put into creating safe communities to reduce offending. She said governments must admit that current systems are failing and instead invest in early intervention, and community-led programs.

“When it comes to that moment in time when it’s all got too much and the crime has been committed, when they stand in a courtroom, the only person held responsible for those failures is the child,” she told AAP.

“There were so many people and organisations and so many programs that failed before you got to that point in time and yet we put all the onus on the child being responsible.

“This is where the evidence counts. This is where people and governments genuinely need to be honest.”

“What we see is our children picked up and kicked from pillar to post as we talk about more incarceration, more removals instead of what we really need to be doing, and that is putting our efforts into creating safe communities and safe environments.”

Topic: Childcare deserts

SNAICC CEO Catherine Liddle spoke to the ABC about the urgent need for Childcare deserts to be taken seriously, calling on governments to back in a universal early education and care system.

Access to quality childcare is increasingly critical to Australian children, families and the economy. In the first research of its kind in Australia, the Mitchell Institute has examined access to childcare in over 50,000 neighbourhoods across the country.

The report found a third of Australians are living in childcare deserts. A childcare desert is a region where three or more children under four years of age were vying for everyone childcare space available. Shockingly, one million Australians have no access to childcare.

In response Catherine Liddle spoke on ABC Breakfast explaining that the report highlights that early childhood education and care services continue to remain less accessible in regional, rural and outer-suburban areas of Australia than in urban areas.

Education Minister Jason Clare recently said access to education should not depend on your postcode or the colour of your skin. This compelling report demonstrates that this is the case for many Australians, and the nation’s model for early education needs to change.