Australia’s First Nations children deserve a brighter future where governments safeguard their wellbeing, rights and dignity, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Katie Kiss said today on International Human Rights Day.

Joint media release: Justice Reform Initiative and Australian Human Rights Commission 

Law and justice leaders, parliamentarians, First Nations leaders, child safety advocates, community service providers, peak organisations, and people with lived experience of child imprisonment from around Australia will come together for a landmark parliamentary event in Canberra on Thursday.

As the launch of National Child Protection Week throws the spotlight on creating better futures where children and young people flourish, the National Children’s Commissioner Anne Hollonds is speaking up for the thousands of children whose futures are bleak because Australian governments do not prioritise their human rights to safety, care and protection. 

Commissioner Hollonds said: “It was a privilege to speak at the launch of National Child Protection Week today, but I did so with a very heavy heart. A second child has died in youth detention in less than a year. 

The Queensland Government’s ‘Community Safety Act’ allowing more children to be locked up in the first instance is another step backwards for child justice and community safety, National Children’s Commissioner Anne Hollonds said. 

“We all want to live in communities where kids can flourish and where everyone is safe, especially children. But this approach to offending by children doesn’t work,” Commissioner Hollonds said.