Indigenous advocates are highlighting a significant missed opportunity by governments to address youth crime in Western Australia's far north. They point out that the programs known to positively impact young people's lives are being hindered by a flawed funding system, which impedes real progress. These advocates argue for a more effective allocation of resources to support these transformative programs and help reduce youth crime in the region.
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00:00 Out on country, looking for crabs.
00:15 Twelve-year-old Chas is learning new skills and new behaviours.
00:19 The goal is to try and get all that pent up stress and energy and anger and everything
00:27 that's happening on, happening within themselves and just kind of getting rid of that.
00:32 Because the only escape that they get that through is really through crime.
00:36 This pilot program in Broome pairs young teens who are disengaging with school and family
00:41 with a mentor, encouraging healthy risk taking and steering them away from trouble.
00:47 It's always good because if you're going through a rough time you can speak to one of the boys.
00:53 It's been running for two years with a $1.5 million grant from the federal government.
00:59 Many of the teens are showing more confidence, no longer considered at risk by police.
01:05 It's also won the Mental Health Award for its innovative approach.
01:11 But the program's future is uncertain, with requests for continued financial support ignored.
01:18 In a statement, the federal government says the program was funded through a single grant,
01:23 with no guarantee of an extension.
01:26 That means at the moment there's no new money allocated for the Broome program from either
01:30 the federal or state government.
01:33 Senior community members say this is one of the major barriers to improving outcomes for
01:38 Indigenous kids.
01:40 We're doing these projects to benefit our young people, our future generation, and at least
01:45 a little bit of support to have a program that's been running very well.
01:50 You know, just waiting for these kids to finish school, become 18 and just throw them straight
01:55 into jail isn't working.
01:56 It's not the right answer.
01:59 Community leaders say there needs to be a commitment to grassroots solutions over the
02:03 long term to bring about change.
02:05 [BLANK_AUDIO]