Justice Reinvestment

About the Australian Government’s justice reinvestment commitments

More than 30 years after the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples remain over-represented at every point in the criminal justice system. In the 2022–2023 Budget, the Australian Government announced a commitment to pursue meaningful change by investing in place-based initiatives, led and implemented by First Nations communities and organisations, to help turn the tide on incarceration and deaths in custody.

The government committed $69 million over 4 years (from 2022–23) to establish a National Justice Reinvestment Program to support up to 30 community-led justice reinvestment initiatives, with ongoing funding of $20 million per year from 2026–27. The government also committed $12.5 million over 4 years to design and establish an independent National Justice Reinvestment Unit to coordinate and support justice reinvestment initiatives at a national level, with ongoing funding of $2.6 million per year from 2026–27.

In the 2023–24 Budget, the government committed an additional $10 million over 4 years to support place-based justice reinvestment initiatives in the Central Australia region of the Northern Territory, under the $250 million plan for A Better, Safer Future for Central Australia.

Justice reinvestment aligns with Outcomes 10 and 11 and the Priority Reforms under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, to reduce the overrepresentation of young people and adults in the criminal justice system.

What is Justice Reinvestment?

The government’s commitment to justice reinvestment recognises that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples hold the solutions to the issues that affect them. Justice reinvestment is a long-term, community-led approach that aims to prevent crime, address the drivers of contact with the justice system, and improve justice outcomes for First Nations peoples in a particular place or community.

Justice reinvestment often begins with communities coming together to identify the best way to prevent and reduce contact with the criminal justice system, and using the strengths of community, cultural knowledge, lived experience and data to design initiatives and measure progress over time. The government then responds to those ideas and proposals put forward by community. This is an important change that shifts decision making power and responsibility to the community level.

Justice reinvestment looks different in every community, but may include community led programs with a justice or broader focus that aim to address drivers of contact with the justice system. It is often led by a community or ‘backbone’ organisation that comes together to support a community to identify what those drivers are and what programs are needed to prevent and address them. Activities and programs might include youth diversion programs, cultural mentoring programs, school-retention programs or mental health support.

These are just examples. It is up to individual communities to decide what they think is needed to shift people away from the justice system, and how they want to lead this change.

Successful initiatives to date

Following a rigorous assessment process by an independent panel, 27 justice reinvestment initiatives have been selected:

  • Cowra Information and Neighbourhood Centre Incorporated (Cowra, NSW)
  • Nja-marleya Cultural Leaders and Justice Group Ltd (Maningrida, NT)
  • Anindilyakwa Royalties Aboriginal Corporation (Groote Eylandt, NT)
  • Ngurratjuta/Pmara Ntjarra Aboriginal Corporation (Central Australia, NT)
  • Cherbourg Wellbeing Indigenous Corporation (Cherbourg, QLD)
  • Gindaja Treatment and Healing Indigenous Corporation (Yarrabah, QLD)
  • Townsville Community Justice Group Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation (Townsville, QLD)
  • Emama Nguda Aboriginal Corporation (Derby, WA)
  • Ebenezer Aboriginal Corporation (Balga, WA)
  • Kinchela Boys Home Aboriginal Corporation (Sydney, NSW)
  • Savanna Solutions Business Services Pty Ltd (Katherine, NT)
  • Minjerribah Moorgumpin Aboriginal Corporation (North Stradbroke Island, QLD)
  • Gunawuna Jungai Limited (Doomadgee, QLD)
  • Cape York Institute (Hope Vale, QLD)
  • Jika Kangka Gununamanda Limited (Mornington Island, QLD)
  • Ngarrindjeri Regional Authority Inc (Meningie, Mid Murray, Murray Bridge, Murray Mallee and Raukkan, SA)
  • Gascoyne Development Commission (Carnarvon, WA)
  • Shire of Halls Creek (Halls Creek, Mulan, Kundat Djaru and Mindibungu, WA)
  • Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia Ltd (Perth, WA)
  • Kurdiji Aboriginal Corporation (Lajamanu, NT)
  • Healthy Dreaming PTY LTD (Port Augusta, SA)
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation FVPLS / Djirra (Melton, Western Melbourne, Vic)
  • Balkanu Cape York Development Corporation (Mossman, QLD)
  • Napranum Aboriginal Shire Council (Napranum, west coast of the Cape York Peninsular QLD)
  • Aboriginal Male's Healing Centre Strong Spirit Strong Families (Newman, Port Hedland, Pilbara Region, WA)
  • Northern Territory Government Community Justice Centre partnership consortium with Tangentyere Council Aboriginal Corporation and Lhere Artepe Aboriginal Corporation (Alice Springs, NT)

These initiatives are in addition to the early investment made in Alice Springs, NT in 2023.

All 27 initiatives address the specific needs of their community, informed by local knowledge. They demonstrate a community-led, systems change approach to address contact with the criminal justice system.

About Justice Reinvestment funding

 

National Justice Reinvestment Program

In the 2022–23 Budget, the Australian Government committed $69 million over 4 years to establish a National Justice Reinvestment Program to support up to 30 community-led justice reinvestment initiatives. This program is ongoing with $20 million per year from 2026–27.

The National Justice Reinvestment Program is a long-term, community-led approach to shifting people’s interactions away from the justice system by investing in preventative and rehabilitation measures, informed by local stories, evidence and data.

Grant opportunities to apply for funding under the National Justice Reinvestment Program were closed in November 2024 as the program was close to being fully subscribed.

Justice Reinvestment in Central Australia Program

In the 2023–24 Budget, the Australian Government committed an additional $10 million over 4 years to support place-based justice reinvestment partnerships located in the Central Australia region of the Northern Territory, under the $250 million plan for A Better, Safer Future for Central Australia.

The Justice Reinvestment in Central Australia Program allows communities to access funding for justice reinvestment initiatives aimed at crime prevention, or providing community led treatments for drug and alcohol addiction, or diversionary supports for illegal drug use.

The Resource Hub

Justice Reinvestment Network Australia and Ninti One have created a Resource Hub webpage in partnership with First Nations people to share their ideas, experiences and expertise in designing and implementing justice reinvestment in their communities.

The Resource Hub contains a variety of resources including:

  • video introductions to justice reinvestment
  • community flyers and visual resources
  • research and reports
  • quick guides
  • templates
  • local and international case studies
  • practical toolkits.

These resources will be useful to communities at any stage of their justice reinvestment journey.

Visit the Justice Reinvestment Resource Hub 

More information

For more information on the National Justice Reinvestment Program or the Justice Reinvestment in Central Australia Program, email: justicereinvestment@ag.gov.au

National design consultations

The Australian Government has worked closely with First Nations people, communities and experts on the design of the National Justice Reinvestment Program and National Justice Reinvestment Unit to ensure their voices are heard, and that community needs and interests are incorporated into the government’s approach.

From April 2023, a national consultation process was facilitated by the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research (the Jumbunna Institute), with 44 community design workshops successfully staged both in person and online, including remote areas often not consulted. This partnership with the Jumbunna Institute has ensured First Nations knowledge and expertise are central to the design and delivery of this historic commitment.

As part of this process, we published a discussion paper on our Consultation Hub providing an opportunity for individuals, communities and organisations to share their views and address key questions to shape the National Justice Reinvestment Unit and National Justice Reinvestment Program.

In June 2023, the Jumbunna Institute published a report on the design of the National Justice Reinvestment Program following the national consultation process.

National Justice Reinvestment Unit

In the 2022-23 Budget, the Australian Government committed $12.5 million over 4 years to design and establish a National Justice Reinvestment Unit to coordinate and support justice reinvestment initiatives at a national level, as recommended by the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) Pathways to Justice report.

The National Justice Reinvestment Unit is being designed by a working group of the Justice Policy Partnership, and informed by the recommendation of the ALRC, written submissions from the public consultation process, and the views of First Nations communities through the national design consultations.