Thursday 20 November – for immediate release
Today I advised staff at the Commission for Children and Young People that I have resigned from my role as Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People. My final day with the Commission will be Friday 19 December.
Since commencing this role in April 2022, I have been privileged to witness the amazing capacity of Aboriginal children and young people and hear the things that are important to them. Sadly, I also see the resilience they are required to carry and call upon as they endure systems borne out of racism and violence, systems the Yoorrook Justice Commission exposed as harmful to Aboriginal children, young people and families. Experiences of racism in daily life also remain a constant and limiting burden.
As we see the growing over-representation of Aboriginal children and young people in out-of-home care and youth justice, there is still so much to do to ensure Aboriginal community and organisations are empowered to deliver self-determined responses to provide safety and wellbeing of First Nations children and young people. Their work contributes to the undoing of the harmful legacy of colonisation on our families and community. The signing of Treaty is but one significant step in that long journey towards justice.
It has also been an honour to act as Principal Commissioner throughout much of this year. Leading the Commission through a period of significant scrutiny on child-safe systems and subsequent regulatory change, whilst continuing to perform my role as Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People, has taken its toll. In saying this, I acknowledge the incredible work of staff at the Commission for their dedication, bravery and commitment to children and young people in Victoria.
The most rewarding aspects of my time as a commissioner have been simply sitting with children and young people across the state and hearing their stories and ideas. I learn infinitely more than I can possibly impart in these interactions. In the past week I’ve visited with children at Quarry Hill Primary School in Bendigo who told us What Matters Most in their lives. I also met with students at The Pavilion School in Preston who spoke of the importance of inclusion and safety in education, something that school models so well. The opportunities to present alongside members of our Youth Council have also been some of the great highlights. Often the best thing I could do is simply step back and allow their brilliance to shine.
As I reflect on leaving a role, and an independent statutory body, that remains critical to the wellbeing of the most vulnerable children and young people in Victoria, I offer these thoughts.
Every child and young person in this state is deserving of safety, love, care and opportunity. They’re also deserving of support and guidance, especially when they make mistakes. The policies, decisions and investments that governments and institutions make can mean the difference between a life recovered, or a child death inquiry, between a life of engagement and flourishing, or a prison cell. The rights, voices and experiences of children and young people must be kept at the centre of these discussions and decisions, not sidelined. Change is possible, but we must be courageous in our challenging of systems and institutions, and sometimes ourselves as a community, if we are going to achieve the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people in Victoria.
Media contact:
Darren Lewin-Hill
Senior Communications & Media Adviser
0437 046 360