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<b>LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY</b> - Signing ePetition

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY - Signing ePetition - Reform of the Youth Crime System: More Funding for Rehabilitation and Keeping Children Safe

To sign the ePetition, confirm you are a resident of New South Wales and enter your title, first name and last name. Once you click ‘submit’ you will have signed the ePetition and will be re-directed to the Legislative Assembly’s ‘ePetitions open for signature’ page

Reform of the Youth Crime System: More Funding for Rehabilitation and Keeping Children Safe

To the Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly, We, the undersigned petitioners, are deeply concerned by the rise in youth crime across NSW and the continued overreliance on incarceration. More than $1 billion is spent annually on youth detention across Australia, with costs reaching up to $5,000 per child per day in some states. Despite this, 85 percent of detained youth are unsentenced, and First Nations children are incarcerated at 27 times the rate of non-Indigenous youth, making up 65 percent of the youth detention population. Rehabilitation programs such as Youth Justice Group Conferencing cost significantly less and reduce recidivism by up to 40 percent, yet remain underfunded. The 2025–26 NSW Budget allocates only $500 million to rehabilitation compared to $2.4 billion for incarceration. Experts have labelled this imbalance a waste of taxpayer funds, and research shows incarceration often worsens outcomes for youth. We ask the Legislative Assembly to urge the Government to: • Increase funding for youth justice rehabilitation and community-led initiatives, • Provide funding for safe home assessments by Communities and Justice NSW to ensure youth offenders have stable environments. While legislative reforms are being introduced, such as amendments to the Bail Act 2013 and new offences targeting repeat offenders and social media glorification, these must be matched with meaningful investment in prevention and reintegration. We call for a justice system that upholds the principles of the Youth Offenders Act 1997 and the Children (Criminal Proceedings) Act 1987, and prioritises equity, evidence-based solutions, and long-term safety.

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The Parliament of New South Wales acknowledges and respects the traditional lands of all Aboriginal people, and pays respects to all Elders past and present. We acknowledge the Gadigal people as the traditional custodians of the land on which the Parliament of New South Wales stands.