Cairns Juvenile Crime: Joanne Borg slams Youth Justice Taskforce on response

A former child safety executive has slammed the response to the youth crime problem for its lack of cultural perspective and is calling for a public inquiry into the issues.

A FORMER child safety executive has slammed the response to the youth crime problem for its lack of cultural perspective and is calling for a public inquiry into the issues.

On Thursday it was announced the Youth Justice Taskforce would have fortnightly panels where a group of agencies come together to focus on high risk offenders.

Joanne Borg was a regional practice leader who led systemic changes. She said the panels were in isolation from victims of crime and the families involved.

“I am saying there needs to be an open public inquiry into the crime issues and what’s going on,” Ms Borg said.

“We need to look at the systems, the families, the communities. The dysfunction across all of it.”

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Ms Borg said a lot of the people involved in youth crime were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.

“The solutions need to come from them. The families of these children themselves,” she said.

“Child Safety and Youth Justice only want to deal with the mother or father. These kids have a large extended family ... aunties, uncles and cousins.”

Ms Borg said it was important not to forget about them.

“These people have a very rich information about the dysfunction that is going on but they are not afforded the opportunity to speak out about it.

“There’s a lot of people that are missing from the table.

“They are the people that can influence the changes, they’re the good role models, they’re the healthy people in the families and we are not hearing from them.”

Ms Borg said the current panels lacked certain attention.

“They are making important decisions and some of these have cultural considerations and they are not being taken into account. That’s a systemic failure,” she said.

Youth Justice Minister Leanne Linard. Picture: Peter Carruthers

Minister of Youth Justice, Leanne Linard said they have established culturally specific initiatives.

“In delivering intensive support for high-risk young offenders, our Youth Justice case managers also work with their families to reduce reoffending,” Ms Linard said.

“This is the focus of the work currently under way as part of the Youth Justice Taskforce.

“Young offenders are also benefiting from cultural mentoring and family support workers who work specifically with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander family and youth.”

A crime rally will be held outside Cairns Mp Michael Healy’s Spence St office on Saturday in protest of the 162 cars stolen in March making it 341 this year.

“We want to hear from victims of crime, we want to hear what solutions they want put forward,” Ms Borg said.

Originally published as Cairns Juvenile Crime: Joanne Borg slams Youth Justice Taskforce on response