The Productivity Commission’s report on government services, released on Thursday, has found that the vast majority, more than $1 billion, is spent on keeping children in youth detention.

Anaiwan man Blake Cansdale, national director at Change the Record, said in a statement to NITV that the scale of the spending was indefensible.

“There is no doubt that this amount will keep increasing unless governments shift focus to community-led responses that address the root causes of crime,” she said.

“At a time when every dollar matters, how much more are our leaders willing to invest in a system that is failing?”

Two different stories

“So even in places like NSW, which is trending down, you are still seeing increases in the number of First Nations children who are incarcerated.”

State and territory governments imprison First Nations children at almost 27 times the rate of other children.

“Instead, they’re caught in a system that does not recognise their childhood and is incapable of providing the support and care required.”

“Research consistently shows that detention often perpetuates cycles of criminal behaviour rather than prevent it,” he said.

“Rather than focusing on expanding the prison system, we need to prioritise comprehensive and community based programs that offer education, mental health support, vocational training and mentorship and investing in partnerships and prevention strategies that will reduce recidivism and create those pathways for people to thrive breaking the cycle before it begins.”

Roll call of pain from coast to coast

Over the 2023/2024 year in Australian youth detention, there were 37 incidents of children being hospitalised because of self-harm or attempted suicides.

20 of these children were in WA.

Change the Record, a not-for-profit, that works to address the over-representation of Indigenous people behind bars, has consistently called for a different approach, one that shifts funding away from failing punitive systems and towards First Nations-led solutions that address the root causes of youth offending: poverty, intergenerational trauma, family violence, inadequate housing, and systemic racism.

“If we are serious about keeping our children safe, reducing crime, and making communities stronger, governments must stop throwing money at failed policies and start listening to our communities, who have the answers.”