Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That, in the opinion of the Senate, the following is a matter of urgency:

The Federal Government must take national leadership to support children who are currently or at risk of coming into contact with the criminal legal system by applying a rights-based approach grounded in evidence and best practice.

Everyone in this country agrees that communities should be healthy, safe and cohesive and that children should have every opportunity to do well in life. Youth crime happens when kids don't have opportunities and support. Disadvantaged communities suffer the most, and right now people are struggling out there. Let's be very clear. Governments are responsible for this crisis. Governments have neglected communities and children. They've failed to make sure people have access to basic health and mental health services; safe, affordable housing; decent education; and youth support programs.

Governments are failing to meet the basic needs of children and are denying them basic human rights. But when the most vulnerable children commit offences, politicians, both Labor and the coalition, don't respond by addressing the underlying issues that government neglect has created—for example, poverty, trauma and undiagnosed disability. Instead, they respond by shamelessly stoking community fears about children, black children in particular, and then promising to solve the issues with tough-on-crime approaches—oh, but you'll just need to vote for them first, right? Rather than take responsibility and follow evidence-based approaches, the major parties take advantage of people's fear and knowingly destroy the lives of children, all in the pursuit of their own political power. It's despicable.

In prisons, children—we're talking about 10-year-olds here—are routinely subjected to isolation, abuse, sexual assault and the deprivation of food, sunlight and meaningful contact with other people. They are deprived of education, deprived of health and deprived of mental health care. Most of these kids have severe cognitive disabilities, and most are black kids. They aren't rehabilitated; they are deeply harmed. All that does is drive and worsen problems in communities. It entrenches the disadvantage and disconnect that children have experienced. It makes them more likely to offend in the future. Tough-on-crime approaches lock communities and children into an endless cycle of harm: offending, conflict and incarceration. We all lose.

Who's looking after our children in this country? It's certainly not the government. This government needs to listen to the many, many First Nations advocates and leaders, as well as to experts like the National Children's Commissioner. You need to start telling the truth and showing some leadership on this issue. You need to drive an evidence-based, coordinated cross-portfolio national approach to youth justice that addresses the leading causes of criminalisation: poverty, lack of access to a safe home, health and mental health problems, lack of enough food to eat, lack of clothing and lack of access to education. Communities and children desperately need new solutions to these problems. We don't need more of the same; we need approaches that actually work.

Let's be clear: the government is not doing what works. You're doing what is best for your next political campaign. You don't have the best interests of the children of this country in your approach. For the information of those who aren't aware, it is more cost effective and beneficial to communities to properly support these kids outside of prison. It costs $1 million for one year to hold a child in prison. Imagine what you could do in the community if, instead of funding for youth programs being cut right across this country, you had that kind of money. It's a shame on the Labor government and anyone else who wants to go tough on crime. (Time expired)