Wednesday, 1 April 2026

 Anasina GRAY-BARBERIO (Northern Metropolitan) (18:42): (2469) My adjournment matter this evening is for the Minister for Youth Justice, and the action I seek is for the minister to meet with the Village Response Collective and the United Pacific Council of Victoria as soon as possible to discuss youth justice reform in Victoria from Pacific Island lived and living experiences. Minister, the Village Response Collective has contacted your office about the One Moana community action plan, with a petition signed by the community here in Victoria calling on you and your government for practical engagement, and it has yet to hear back from your office.

Victoria is home to a significant Pasifika population. Census data indicates that just over 76,000 people in Victoria report Pacific ancestry, including just over 28,000 people born in Pacific Island countries, including me. Pasifika countries are also one of the youngest populations in Australia; around 28.1 per cent of Pasifika people are aged 0 to 14, and 18.1 per cent are aged 25 to 34. The Pacific community – my community – contributes strongly to the economic, cultural and social fabric of Victoria. Despite these contributions, available justice data shows that Pasifika young people experience disproportionate contact with youth justice systems. National data indicates that Pasifika youth make up around 8.5 per cent of youth detention populations. Earlier justice data showed Pasifika youth accounted for approximately 12 per cent of young people on remand, despite representing around 2 per cent of the population.

Pacific community-led organisations are rarely invited into government decision-making tables in a way that is meaningful or reflective of their experiences and community-led early intervention solutions that work and are culturally responsive, instead of just being invited as a ticking-box exercise. Both Village Response Collective and the United Pacific Council of Victoria are Pacific-led organisations that are equally committed to safer communities and stronger outcomes for young people and the broader Pacific community in Victoria. Minister, they would value the opportunity to meet with you to contribute their leadership and community infrastructure so that youth justice reforms are implemented in a way that strengthens both community safety and the wellbeing of our young Pacific people across Victoria. Minister, the Pacific communities are asking for transparent engagement when it concerns young Pacific people, and I welcome your meeting with Village Response Collective and the United Pacific Council of Victoria. It will be a meeting you will not regret.