Opinion Piece – Local solutions key to reducing Indigenous incarceration

Every time I visit the Kimberley I’m reminded of the vastness of its landscape and the unique challenges this presents for service providers and local residents.

But equally, I’m struck by the tremendous commitment and resolve of the people that work in this region, none more so than those working in youth and community services.

On a recent three-day visit with WA Attorney General John Quigley, Senator Sue Lines and the Kimberley local member Divina D’Anna, I sat down with local leaders, legal service providers, and a range of Aboriginal community-controlled organisations.

We heard about the challenges they face, but also the terrific services that are improving the lives of their communities. Like on night patrol with the Ngurra Burra team in Broome, where I saw first-hand the level of trust and respect between the patrol team, youth and families.

The over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the criminal justice system is an issue that all governments across the nation must confront. Whilst we have a long way to go in achieving our Closing the Gap targets, we’ve got to keep looking for different ways of improving community safety by keeping people, especially young people, out of the criminal justice system.

And the one thing that is absolutely clear is that self-determined, locally-led approaches work best.

We can only turn the tide on the unacceptably high incarceration rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait people if we listen to the communities who hold the solutions and invest in what works. This was echoed in every meeting I had in Derby, Kununurra and Broome.

In 2022 Labor announced a historic First Nations justice package that includes $69 million for a national justice reinvestment program.

Justice reinvestment supports Indigenous communities to find local solutions to keep at-risk youth and adults away from the criminal justice system.

In Derby, I met with Emama Nguda, one of twenty organisations funded under our national justice reinvestment program.

They told me about their plans to expand their locally led programs to drive better outcomes for Aboriginal young people and families.

If a young person stops going to school, it’s not just an issue about education.

Emama Nguda recognises this by providing services to help get kids back on track through intensive family support, night patrol, night basketball, and a safe house with education programs to ensure kids continue to learn.

I heard first-hand how working closely with families builds trust and supports a holistic approach to a young person’s wellbeing within their family and community.

I heard about the power of embedding culture at the centre of these children’s lives, to create a strong sense of self and empowerment.

Justice reinvestment as a concept is simple. Local people designing local solutions. It will take time to see results and it will look different across the country based on the priorities and needs of different communities.

What works in Derby might not work in Doomadgee. This is the whole point of the program - doing something new, tailored to work for each community.

Now more than ever, we must listen and invest in what works.

The current gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians across justice, education, and health are unacceptable.

Aboriginal children deserve to grow up in a world of choice about their own futures. All Australians deserve to live in communities that are safe and secure.

The national justice reinvestment program is just one way we are investing in locally-led programs that support a better future for Aboriginal people and their communities.

I am deeply grateful to everyone who gave me the opportunity to listen. I look forward to visiting the Kimberley again.

This opinion piece was originally published in The West Australian