What Truth-telling means for Indigenous Children in Youth Detention

Today, the 4th of August, is National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day, a day that calls for the recognition and celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. The theme for 2026 is ‘Living Our Truth’, which highlights the importance of truth-telling, of sharing community knowledge and Indigenous voices and stories across society and across generations.

This theme recognises truth-telling as fundamental to identity, belonging and cultural strength and resilience, and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children as the future generation of storytellers and leaders of their communities.

What is ‘truth-telling’?

Truth-telling refers to the acts and processes of providing a more accurate and comprehensive account of Australia’s history that recognises not only the historic injustices of colonisation and institutional violence against First Nations peoples but also highlights the strength and presence of First Nations communities within that history.

It is a crucial mechanism by which injustices can be exposed and challenged so that accountability for historic and ongoing harm may be pursued. Truth-telling recognises that the injustices of the past that have shaped the must be acknowledged in order to promote meaningful progress towards true equity and inclusion.

While truth-telling is often practiced at the local or regional level, it has also been incorporated in government bodies or at a national scale. The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, the Bringing Them Home Report, and the Uluru Statement from the Heart are all examples of initiatives that have demonstrated truth-telling at the national level.

At its core, truth-telling is a means of centring the voices, knowledge, and lived experiences of First Nations peoples and communities in the pursuit towards reconciliation, helping to foster better dialogue and social understanding between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

Truth-telling in the youth justice system

First Nations peoples have long been subject to severe criminalisation and over-incarceration by Australia’s criminal justice system, and this is no less true of the youth justice system. This stems from a long history of dispossession and cycles of social and economic disadvantage, which result in Indigenous Australians being disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system.

Truth-telling offers an opportunity for First Nations peoples to give witness to institutions that facilitate the criminalisation of their children and communities, and to advocate for meaningful change.

The Victorian Commission for Children and Young People’s ‘Our Youth, Our Way’ report found that in relation to the overrepresentation of Indigenous children in Victoria’s youth justice system, services designed, controlled and delivered by First Nations communities have the most potential to produce the best outcomes for Indigenous children in the youth justice system.

The centring of First Nations voices with regards to the improvement of the youth justice system is therefore essential to ensure the safety of First Nations children in youth detention.

First Nations children in detention deserve institutions that prioritise their care and protection. Truth-telling is a necessary process for such systems to develop; without making space for First Nations voices, without recognising First Nations perspectives and experiences of these institutions, systemic change will continue to be out of reach.