11 September 2024
Australia’s Human Rights Commissioner has met representatives from the Law Society of Western Australia, to discuss the state of WA’s child detention system.
Commissioner Lorraine Finlay was joined by Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Katie Kiss and National Children’s Commissioner Anne Hollonds at an enlightening meeting in Perth this afternoon.
They met leading human rights lawyer and President of the Law Council of Australia (LCA), Greg McIntyre SC – who also chairs the Law Society’s Indigenous Legal Issues and Human Rights and Equal Opportunity committees – as well as Law Society President Paula Wilkinson and CEO David Price.
The meeting, at the invitation of the Human Rights Commissioner, followed a presentation by Ms Hollonds to the national LCA directors in Perth at the weekend, on her recent report entitled: Help Way Earlier – how Australia can transform child justice, to improve safety and wellbeing.
The Australian Human Rights Commission report was tabled in Federal Parliament last month.
This afternoon’s meeting followed a letter to WA Premier Roger Cook and Corrective Services Minister Paul Papalia from the Law Society last week, demanding an independent inquiry into juvenile detention in WA, as well as a proper road map to fixing the system.
Ms Wilkinson said the meeting was productive and offered hope.
“The fact that the situations at Banksia Hill and Unit 18 have reached the Australian Human Rights Commission speaks volumes,” Ms Wilkinson said.
“The ‘Help Way Earlier’ report offers a holistic solution to not only addressing the public health aspects that lead to child offending, but also the social justice needs and reforms within the justice system to ensure supervision with vital rehabilitation.
“It is the Law Society’s hope that governments will heed the report and work together, above politics, to give children in detention a chance at a better future.”
Inquiries: Deb Kennedy – dkennedy@lawsocietywa.asn.au
