Complaint submitted to UN Committee about Australia’s discriminatory youth justice policies – SNAICC in the News

The week of 31 March 2025 covers an urgent complaint that has been submitted to the UN about Australia’s discriminatory youth justice systems and an NIT interview with Ngemba woman Lil Gordon, the acting National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People.

An urgent complaint has been submitted to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, documenting Australia’s discriminatory youth justice policies and their serious human rights violations against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. Submitted by Bibbulmun Noongar woman Associate Professor Hannah McGlade and Cobble Cobble woman Professor Megan Davis, with support from the Human Rights Law Centre, the complaint documents the persistent and escalating racial discrimination in federal, state and territory youth justice systems. It raises key concerns, including harsh bail laws leading to the mass incarceration of children under 14, cruel treatment in detention such as solitary confinement and spit hoods, and government inaction on independent reform recommendations, including the 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and the 2024 Help Way Earlier! report. The complaint urges the UN to find Australia in violation of international human rights laws and calls for urgent reforms.

SNAICC CEO Catherine Liddle told the ABC that the system is failing children who have already been let down by multiple institutions, pointing to overcrowded living conditions, lack of access to healthcare and food insecurity as key drivers of youth detention. Catherine said the complaint aims to spotlight how Australia’s current approach to juvenile detention is inhumane and breaches international human rights. Human Rights Law Centre’s First Nations Justice Director, Gunggari person Maggie Munn, echoed these concerns, warning that instead of addressing systemic human rights violations, governments are doubling down on harmful policies that disproportionately impact Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. The complaint calls for urgent investment in evidence-based, community-led solutions, including greater support for diversionary programs, alternatives to court processes, and stronger commitments to upholding Australia’s human rights obligations. It has been endorsed by key Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders, legal experts and advocacy organisations, including SNAICC, National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services and the Australian Human Rights Commission.

SNAICC – National Voice for our Children has urged all political parties to adopt a bi-partisan approach to Closing the Gap for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children ahead of the May 3 federal election. SNAICC CEO Catherine Liddle spoke on the urgent need for a unified commitment to early childhood education and family safety. Catherine said that Closing the Gap begins with our children, and spoke on the disproportionate number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in child protection and youth justice systems due to insufficient early intervention or diversion programs. SNAICC is calling for immediate action from political leaders to focus on policies that drive lasting change, urging investment in evidence-based approaches rather than fear-driven, ill-informed narratives. SNAICC has called on political leaders to avoid using Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children as political tools, noting that too often, children are treated as political footballs in election campaigns.

Ngemba woman Lil Gordon, the acting National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People, spoke with National Indigenous Times about the significance of the newly established role. Long advocated for by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations, the position aims to address the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care and youth detention. SNAICC CEO Catherine Liddle called it a long-overdue mechanism to hold governments accountable for failing policies, stressing the urgent need for real accountability. With over 34 years of experience, Gordon steps into the role amid growing concerns over worsening child protection and justice outcomes. She spoke about the need for stronger collaboration between state, territory and federal governments to drive meaningful change and ensure national standards are upheld. While her appointment is temporary, Gordon sees the role as a turning point in how governments engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, hoping it will serve as a lasting platform to amplify their voices.

For complete coverage, find the news stories linked below.

Topic: Complaint submitted to UN Committee about Australia’s discriminatory youth justice policies

This week, an urgent complaint has been submitted to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination about Australia’s discriminatory youth justice systems and how they seriously violate the human rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

The complaint has been submitted to the UN Committee by Bibbulmun Noongar woman Associate Professor Hannah McGlade and Cobble Cobble woman Professor Megan Davis, with support from the Human Rights Law Centre. The complaint documents Australian federal, state and territory governments’ ‘significant, persistent and escalating’ racial discrimination and human rights violations against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

Key concerns include:

• draconian laws and policies that have fueled mass incarceration crisis, with harsh bail laws and the jailing of children under 14
• cruel and degrading treatment in detention, including spit hoods, solitary confinement and strip searches
• government inaction on independent reform recommendations, including the 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and the 2024 Help Way Earlier! report by the National Children’s Commissioner Anne Hollonds.

The complaint urges the UN Committee to find Australia in violation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and calls for urgent action. Dr McGlade said the complaint was necessary because Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children’s lives are at risk. She criticised governments for refusing to engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples or uphold binding international human rights laws, saying racism and neglect in Australian politics had led to systemic breaches of UN treaty law.

Catherine Liddle, CEO of SNAICC, told the ABC that the system is failing children who have been let down by multiple institutions and said that overcrowded living conditions, lack of access to medical care and food insecurity as key factors driving contact with the detention system. Catherine said the complaint aims to spotlight how Australia’s current approach to juvenile detention is inhumane and breaches international human rights. She said that despite overwhelming evidence that punitive policies do not work, governments continue to push ‘tough-on-crime’ policies. She also noted that most Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in detention are on remand and have not been found guilty, yet they receive no therapeutic support and are often isolated from family and community.

Gunggari person Maggie Munn, First Nations Justice Director at the Human Rights Law Centre, said Australia’s punitive approach is worsening the crisis and instead of addressing human rights violations, governments are doubling down on harsh laws that increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in detention. Munn stressed that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities have long advocated for evidence-based, self-determined solutions and called for urgent investment in programs that support children rather than imprison them.

The complaint argues that governments’ ‘tough-on-crime’ policies have directly contributed to escalating racial discrimination and rights violations. It highlights the failure to implement key recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and calls for immediate reforms, including:

• full implementation of Australia’s treaty obligations on racial discrimination and children’s rights
• adoption of the National Children’s Commissioner’s 2024 youth justice recommendations, including a national task force and a 10-year roadmap for reform
• greater investment in housing, health, education and diversionary programs, as well as alternatives to traditional court processes, such as restorative justice initiatives and child-specialist courts.

The complaint has been endorsed by Larrakia man Professor Eddie Cubillo, the National Children’s Commissioner Anne Hollonds, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Kaanju and Birri/Widi woman Katie Kiss, the Australian Human Rights Commission, National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services and SNAICC – National Voice for our Children.

For full coverage, find the relevant news stories linked below.

Topic: SNAICC calls for bi-partisan support to Closing the Gap for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children ahead of 2025 Federal Election

SNAICC – National Voice for Our Children has urged all political parties to adopt a bi-partisan approach to Closing the Gap for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, ahead of the upcoming May 3 federal election.

SNAICC CEO Catherine Liddle spoke on the urgent need for a unified commitment to early childhood education and family safety. She said that it’s important for political leaders to prioritise early education and child and family safety to ensure children receive the best possible start in life.

Catherine said that Closing the Gap starts with our children—that comes above politics, as it always should. She pointed out the disproportionate number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children placed into child protection and youth justice systems, often without sufficient early intervention or diversion programs. SNAICC is calling for immediate action from all political leaders to focus on policies that drive real, lasting change, urging all sides of politics to invest in evidence-based policies, rather than feeding into ill-informed, fear-driven narratives that ultimately don’t serve children, families or the wider community.

SNAICC is calling on political leaders to refrain from using Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children as political tools in the election campaign. Catherine said that too often, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are treated as political footballs in a race to the bottom. She said that we are urging our nation’s leaders to avoid that trap, saying that our children and families deserve better, and the Australian public wants better.

For full coverage, find the news story linked below.

Topic: NIT interview with acting National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People

In an interview with National Indigenous Times this week, Ngemba woman Lil Gordon, the acting National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People, spoke about the significance of the newly established national role.

The appointment of the National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People has been an important step towards addressing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children’s over-representation in out-of-home care. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations have long advocated for the creation of the position, and SNAICC welcomed Gordon’s appointment when the Commission was officially established in September 2024.

SNAICC CEO Catherine Liddle spoke of the role’s importance, calling it a long-overdue mechanism for holding governments accountable for the policies and systems affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. She stressed the urgent need for accountability at all levels of government, stating that the Commissioner must ensure jurisdictions are held responsible for the worsening crisis. She said that in every room, people are asking; “where is the accountability? Where is the accountability on governments for what is happening to our children?”, to which Catherine said that the National Commissioner is the vehicle that will do that.

With over 34 years of experience working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, Lil Gordon steps into the role at a time of growing concern over the increasing number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care and juvenile detention. A key focus of Gordon’s tenure is strengthening collaboration between state and territory governments—who oversee child protection and youth justice—and the Commonwealth, which has the power to influence national standards. She said she is exploring ways to ensure consistent accountability across jurisdictions and leverage federal mechanisms more effectively.

Despite federal calls for states to reduce youth incarceration, some jurisdictions have introduced policies that increase child remand and detention, contradicting Closing the Gap commitments. Gordon sees the establishment of this role as a pivotal shift in how governments approach the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. While her appointment is temporary, she believes the role itself is a step in the right direction. The search for a permanent Commissioner is ongoing, but Gordon said that this moment represents a turning point.

Ultimately, Lil Gordon hopes the office will serve as a platform to genuinely listen to and work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people—centring their voices in a system that has historically failed them.

For full coverage, find the news story linked below.