COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Official Committee Hansard HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES STANDING COMMITTEE ON ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER AFFAIRS Reference: Involvement of Indigenous juveniles and young adults in the criminal justice system TUESDAY, 4 MAY 2010 BRISBANE BY AUTHORITY OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES INTERNET Hansard transcripts of public hearings are made available on the inter- net when authorised by the committee. The internet address is: http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard To search the parliamentary database, go to: http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES STANDING COMMITTEE ON ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER AFFAIRS Tuesday, 4 May 2010 Members: Mr Debus (Chair), Mr Laming (Deputy Chair), Mr Andrews, Ms Campbell, Ms Rea, Mr Kelvin Thomson, Mr Trevor, Mr Turnour and Mrs Vale Members in attendance: Mr Debus, Ms Rea and Mr Turnour Terms of reference for the inquiry: To inquire into and report on: High levels of involvement of Indigenous juveniles and young adults in the criminal justice system. With a particular focus on prevention and early intervention, the Committee will identify: How the development of social norms and behaviours for Indigenous juveniles and young adults can lead to positive social engagement; The impact that alcohol use and other substance abuse has on the level of Indigenous juvenile and young adult involvement in the criminal justice system and how health and justice authorities can work together to address this; Any initiatives which would improve the effectiveness of the education system in contributing to reducing the levels of involvement of Indigenous juveniles and young adults with the criminal justice system; The effectiveness of arrangements for transitioning from education to work and how the effectiveness of the ‘learn or earn’ concept can be maximised; Best practice examples of programs that support diversion of Indigenous people from juvenile detention centres and crime, and provide support for those returning from such centres; The scope for the clearer responsibilities within and between government jurisdictions to achieve better co-ordinated and targeted service provision for Indigenous juveniles and young adults in the justice system; The extent to which current preventative programs across government jurisdictions are aligned against common goals to improve the health and emotional well-being of Indigenous adolescents, any gaps or duplication in effort, and recommendations for their modification or enhancement. WITNESSES ANDERSON, Mr Kelvin John, Commissioner for Corrections, Queensland Corrective Services, Department of Community Safety, Queensland.............................................................................................. 2 ATKINSON, Mr Robert, Commissioner of Police, Queensland Police Service ........................................... 2 BOND, Ms Monique, ANTaR ......................................................................................................................... 74 BRUNKER, Mr Dean, Program Manager, Employment Education and Training, BoysTown............... 65 CLARKE, Mr Norman Francis, Private capacity......................................................................................... 27 CONNORS, Mrs Rosemary, Coordinator, Ipswich Community Justice Group........................................ 36 D’CRUZ, Ms Raylene, Community Legal Education Officer, Youth Advocacy Centre........................... 60 DALGLEISH, Mr John, Manager, Strategy and Research, BoysTown ..................................................... 65 DONALDSON, Mr Adair, Partner, Shannon Donaldson Province Lawyers............................................. 29 GILLIES, Ms Jan, ANTaR ............................................................................................................................. 74 GROVES, Dr Aaron, Executive Director, Mental Health Directorate, Queensland Health..................... 49 KILL, Ms Bette, Associate Director-General, Strategy, Policy, Programs and Performance, Department of Communities, Queensland....................................................................................................... 2 KIRK, Mr Joseph William, Children of the Dreaming, Ipswich................................................................. 36 LEITCH, Ms Angela, Director, Indigenous Education Policy, Department of Education and Training, Queensland ........................................................................................................................................ 2 MONRO, Ms Rosslyn, Director, Youth Advocacy Centre........................................................................... 60 RYAN, Mr Terry, Acting Deputy Director-General, Justice Services, Department of Justice and Attorney-General, Queensland ......................................................................................................................... 2 STEER, Dr Peter Anthony, Chief Executive Officer, Children’s Health Services, Queensland Health................................................................................................................................................................ 49 TONKIN, Ms Stephanie, Private capacity..................................................................................................... 21 Tuesday, 4 May 2010 REPS ATSIA 1 Committee met at 9.19 am CHAIR (Mr Debus)—I declare open this public hearing of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, which is inquiring into the high level of involvement of Indigenous juveniles and young adults in the criminal justice system. I acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land, pay respect to the elders past, present and future and acknowledge Aboriginal people generally who now reside in this area. The meetings of this committee are formal proceedings of the parliament, so everything said at them should be factual and honest. It is considered a serious matter to attempt to mislead the committee. I will invite witnesses to make comments to assist us in our inquiry into the involvement of Indigenous youth in the criminal justice system. The hearing is open to the public and a transcript of what is said will be placed on the committee’s website. ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER AFFAIRS ATSIA 2 REPS Tuesday, 4 May 2010 [9.20 am] ANDERSON, Mr Kelvin John, Commissioner for Corrections, Queensland Corrective Services, Department of Community Safety, Queensland ATKINSON, Mr Robert, Commissioner of Police, Queensland Police Service KILL, Ms Bette, Associate Director-General, Strategy, Policy, Programs and Performance, Department of Communities, Queensland LEITCH, Ms Angela, Director, Indigenous Education Policy, Department of Education and Training, Queensland RYAN, Mr Terry, Acting Deputy Director-General, Justice Services, Department of Justice and Attorney-General, Queensland CHAIR—I particularly welcome the presence of Queensland government senior executives here today. It is a source of great satisfaction to us that you should have taken the trouble to come and an indication of how seriously you take the issues that we are investigating on our visits to various jurisdictions around Australia. We normally proceed by inviting witnesses to make an opening submission, and I gather that Ms Kill will do that on behalf of the other departments. We will then enter into a freer discussion of the issues that you raise. Ms Kill—We would like to start by acknowledging the traditional owners and elders of the land on which we meet. The Queensland government would like to welcome the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs and its inquiry into high levels of involvement of Indigenous juveniles and young adults in the criminal justice system. Our government is committed to closing the gap between the life outcomes and opportunities experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and those experienced by their non-Indigenous Queensland counterparts. It is acknowledged that young Indigenous people continue to be overrepresented all across the statutory interventions. Our government is actively engaging young Indigenous people to prevent offending, reduce reoffending and provide support and assistance to reduce their contact with the criminal justice system. I would like to take the opportunity to briefly outline some of the relevant activities the Queensland government is currently undertaking in this area. There are a number of initiatives and services that provide viable early intervention options for children and young people at risk of offending. For example, the Youth and Family Support Service in Brisbane works with young people and their families to prevent a range of at-risk behaviours from escalating to offending or other negative life outcomes. Another example is the Pathways to Prevention project, which provides family support services to primary school age children and their families before problems emerge. In 2010-11, the Department of Communities will shift $8.5 million to invest in new Indigenous child protection services that have an increased early intervention and family support ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER AFFAIRS Tuesday, 4 May 2010 REPS ATSIA 3 focus. This will provide a wider range of services for Indigenous families, help us to address the challenges they face early on and hopefully reduce the number of children who need to be removed from their homes and their families. A trial