Real change starts with community voices and community-led solutions.
Across health, youth justice and anti-racism work, change happens when communities lead and shape the solutions that affect their lives.
This can mean building culturally safe models of care, pushing for better first responses for young people, and demanding accountability when institutions are harming families.
In this edition of the Justice Brief, we’re sharing stories of community-led solutions, powerful advocacy and the people driving change across Australia.
Young people deserve support, not police
The National Justice Project has shared our recommendations with the NSW Select Committee on Youth Justice, calling for urgent investment in alternative first responders for young people. Police-first responses are not working, and children’s lives are being shaped by the justice system before they’ve had the chance to be children. Research from Australia and around the world shows that young people need early engagement, family support and community-led solutions. Communities already know what works, and when they lead, outcomes are stronger.
Read more about Alternative First Responders
Human Rights Commission accepts racism complaint against NSW Police
The Australian Human Rights Commission has accepted a racial discrimination complaint against NSW Police and Belgravia Leisure after several First Nations families were forced from the Inverell public pool last year. After staff called police over claims some children were “not following the rules,” families say they were threatened with trespass and escorted out. This decision is a huge step toward accountability and lasting change.
Read more: First Nations families speak out after police throw children out of Inverell pool
What health justice means for First Nations families
What does it take for healthcare to feel safe, respectful and free from racism? Across Australia, First Nations people are still being denied culturally safe healthcare, with laws, policies and systems creating barriers to access. In this month’s Justice Journal, we explored what Health Justice means in practice, why community-led healthcare matters, and how First Nations communities are leading solutions that work.
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Read the full April Justice Brief here.
