Agenda

Uncle Allen Madden, Respected Gadigal Elder, Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council

Bernice Hookey, Chief Executive Officer, MZB Empowerment

• With Aboriginal children and young people continuing to be overrepresented in the youth justice system, how can governments work alongside Aboriginal communities to create earlier, more effective responses?

• Hear how the NSW Government is approaching youth justice reform through prevention, diversion, community partnerships and culturally informed approaches that aim to improve outcomes for Aboriginal young people while strengthening community safety.

Jihad Dib, Minister for Youth Justice, NSW Government

• How are Murri Courts, Community Justice Groups, and Elders contributing to more effective, culturally-informed justice outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people? How can the different jurisdictions all be learning from each other? What is the scope to expand Murri Courts or similar models across the country?

• Unpacking the high and rapidly rising justice statistics, looking at systemic insights from the interrelated Closing the Gap targets, and  learning from efforts to make justice work smarter not harder in the UK and other jurisdictions to translate those insights into improving safety

Kate Greenwood, Senior Policy Lawyer, Closing the Gap, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service (ATSILS)

• If early contact with the justice system is driven by structural inequality, intergenerational trauma and systemic racism, how can governments and justice institutions intervene earlier to prevent First Nations people from entering the system in the first place?

• Explore how upstream, cross-portfolio prevention (i.e. family support, therapeutic services, housing stability, education and employment) can reduce first-time justice contact

Moderator: Ragina Rogers, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Indigenous Governance Institute (AIGI)

Thalia Anthony, Professor of Law, University of Technology Sydney

Tahlia-Rose Vanissum, Strategic Director, First Nations Advocates Against Family Violence (FNAAFV)

Hon Tanya Pilbersek, Minister for Social Services, Australian Government

• Identify points in the justice process where bias affects First Nations people and explore practical reforms to reduce over-representation

• Highlight solutions like Specialist Indigenous Lists, culturally-informed court practices, and improvements in discretionary decision-making to improve outcomes

Hon Robert McClelland, Deputy Chief Judge, Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia & Former Attorney General, Australian Government

• Youth-led advocacy through Mounty Yarns, including their official film, where Aboriginal young people share lived-experience stories and solutions for justice system reform

• Gain insights on community-led interventions to prevent incarceration, including sport programs, youth assistance at police custody and bail, fines reform, and community planning

Daniel Daylight, Community Manager, Just Reinvest NSW

Julie Williams, Community Engagement Lead, Just Reinvest NSW

Lizzie May, Chairperson, Link-Up NSW & Deerubbin LALC

• How can Aboriginal-led organisations intervene early to prevent contact with the justice system and disrupt cycles of intergenerational harm?

• Hear how community-controlled programs are addressing the root causes of justice involvement , including domestic and family violence, trauma, disconnection from culture, and limited access to opportunity.

Carly Stanley, Chief Executive Officer & Founder, Wundirra Community & Consultancy Services

Jamie Carr, Lived Experience Principal Consultant, Real Indigenous Consultancy

• If police contact is the strongest predictor of future incarceration, what must change in policing models to improve safety without deepening racial harm?

• Hear how alternative responses, community-led policing, diversion, and accountability mechanisms can reduce unnecessary arrests while strengthening trust and public safety.

Moderator: Raagini Vijaykumar, Principal Managing Lawyer - Wirraway, Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service (VALS)

Antoinette Braybrook, Chief Executive Officer, Djirra

Brett Collins, Coordinator, Justice Action

Nick Espie, General Manager, National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services (NATSILS)

• How can stronger oversight, accountability, and culturally-informed support reduce the overrepresentation of Aboriginal children and young people in youth justice settings?

• Explore the connection between out-of-home care and youth justice, including how regulatory safeguards, accreditation, monitoring, Child Safe Standards, and Aboriginal-led models can strengthen early intervention, prevent harm, and keep children connected to family, community and culture.

Bianca Dufty, Deputy Children's Guardian, NSW Office of the Children's Guardian

• Explore how trauma, structural inequality and systemic responses contribute to the criminalization of Aboriginal children and young people and their pathways into the youth justice system

• Learn how Aboriginal-designed, community-led approaches through the Koorie Youth Council's youth voice model, centre young people's voices and experiences for development and change in Victoria's youth justice system

Bonnie Dukakis, Chief Executive Officer, Gunditjmara

Bernice Hookey, Chief Executive Officer, MZB Empowerment