The Hon. AILEEN MacDONALD (21:38): I recently had occasion to visit Streetwork, which operates in Sydney's northern region. This worthy organisation works with vulnerable young people to turn their lives around. A team of specialist youth caseworkers seek to support them, regardless of the issues that they face, through a focused mentoring program. As members are aware, young people are referred due to a range of challenges, whether it be a mental health crisis, disengagement from school, homelessness, substance abuse or crime. As Father Chris Riley told me recently, kids are not born bad. In my role as shadow Minister for Youth Justice, naturally I support any diversionary or early intervention programs to keep them out of jail in the first place. It is not just Streetwork; many similar organisations hold the same noble ambition, like Just Reinvest NSW, BackTrack, Youth Off The Streets, Uniting's Foyer Central, the Koori Court and the Exodus Foundation, to name just a few.

We know that young people who get caught up in the State's criminal justice system come from some of the poorest and most disadvantaged parts of New South Wales. They are vulnerable, and a highly disproportionate number of them are Indigenous youth. To reduce the numbers of children on the trajectory of becoming adult offenders, there is a critical need for a strengthened focus on early intervention and prevention programs. Are we investing enough in those programs and organisations? Surely, by tackling disadvantage and the causes of offending, crime is prevented and expenditure on courts and prisons is reduced.

I recently wrote in support of a proposed Just Reinvest partnership in Armidale between BackTrack and the Nēwara Aboriginal Corporation. The initiative holds tremendous promise for the community as it addresses underlying social issues and diverting resources towards prevention and rehabilitation. By strategically investing in the local community's wellbeing and empowering that community, it is possible to create a safer and more inclusive community for all. If successful, Armidale stands to benefit significantly from the initiative. It will reduce recidivism. By focusing on early intervention and support services, it is possible to break the cycle of crime and incarceration, leading to better outcomes for individuals, families and the community. It will enhance community safety by investing in community‑led programs that address the root cause of the crime. And it will increase social cohesion and empower the community by being Aboriginal led and ensuring that solutions are culturally appropriate and sustainable.

It makes so much more sense to divert youth who have committed minor offences away from the system and towards community‑based treatment involving the youth's family and/or services and support options. It stands to reason that employing diversionary programs rather than going through the formal system is a much more productive way of addressing and preventing future delinquency, thus reducing recidivism. Early intervention not only prevents the onset of delinquent behaviour; it also supports the development of a youth's assets and resilience. In March this year the Parliament introduced the Bail and Crimes Amendment Bill 2024 to create sweeping new changes to youth bail laws and to make it harder for children aged over 14 and under 18 to get bail. I am not going to knock that bill; the Coalition supported it. What I am saying is it is obvious that there is a better way.

That bill was a bandaid solution that does not address the problem in the long run. Evidence suggests that, if bail is denied, children are more likely to be involved in the criminal justice system. Surely by now we have learned that youth detention has been found to aggravate the trauma and behavioural issues that young people experience. The social cost to our communities is obvious, but I would like to conclude on the economic costs. The average cost per day for a young person to be detained in a youth detention centre is approximately $2,800. The average cost per day for a young person to be supervised in the community via Youth Justice is around $293. That is roughly 10 per cent of the cost of keeping kids in detention for what I daresay is a 10 times better result for our troubled kids and their communities.