Amnesty International welcomes the Federal Government’s commitment to show national leadership on the issue of youth justice across Australia, and urges Prime Minister Turnbull to oversee nationwide reform of the youth justice system.
Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion said this morning that “every other jurisdiction will be looking to the NT and Commonwealth for leadership; Chief Minister Michael Gunner and I are committed to providing that leadership.” The comment was in response to the report by the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory.
A ReachTEL poll released by Amnesty International this morning found two out of three Australians think the Turnbull Government should take the lead on reforming youth justice across the country.
“We welcome the final report of the Royal Commission – now the NT and Federal Government must listen and work with local communities and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations to take these important findings and recommendations by the Royal Commission forward. This is one of the key calls by Aboriginal Peak Organisations Northern Territory,” said Roxanne Moore, Indigenous Rights Campaigner at Amnesty International Australia.
“But the reform must not stop there. The Federal Government has said today that many of the recommendations have wider implications for all jurisdictions, and it has committed to providing leadership for all jurisdictions.”
“We know the overrepresentation of Indigenous children and their abuse in children’s prisons are problems not only for the NT but every state and territory.”
“That’s why PM Turnbull must now commit to and lead national reform of the youth ‘injustice’ system across the country.”
