A submission to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee inquiry into Australia’s youth justice and incarceration system. The submission highlights how the youth justice system is failing children and young people through early exclusion at school, missed disability support, unsafe detention practices and inconsistent access to education. This submission calls for strong Commonwealth leadership to set enforceable national standards that protect children’s rights and safety across all jurisdictions.

The submission focuses on three connected areas of concern: early system failures that create a pipeline for children toward the youth justice system through undiagnosed disability and repeated school suspensions, persistent non-compliance with disability and education obligations inside detention, and the continued use of isolation and unsafe practices. Together, these issues show a clear gap between what Australia has promised under international law and what children are experiencing on the ground. 

The submission supports all recommendations made in the report ‘Help way earlier!’ How Australia can transform child justice to improve safety and wellbeing.