← Victoria Youth Justice
Accountability TrackerVIC
Victoria Youth Justice Tracker
What did the VIC government promise, who got the money, who runs those organisations, what’s their track record, and what’s the political context?
120
Avg daily detention
14x
Indigenous overrepresentation
$7,123
Cost per day (detention)
65%
Unsentenced (remand)
The Story in Three Numbers
$2,599,895
per child per year in detention
65%
unsentenced (on remand)
1.4/10K
youth detention rate
Victoria detains 120 children on an average day at $7,123/day. First Nations young people are 14x overrepresented in detention. 65% of those detained haven't been sentenced — they're on remand. Detention numbers have increased 37% over 5 years.
The Numbers That Matter
Source: outcomes_metrics database — AIHW, ROGS, state reports.
120
Avg daily detention
14x
Indigenous detention rate ratio
56.6%
Recidivism (12 months)
65%
Unsentenced (remand)
Detention
$7,123/day
$2,599,895 per child per year
Community Supervision
$184.71/day
10.2x cheaper
ROGS 2026 — System Snapshot
95
Daily detention
585
Daily community
205
Detention beds
61.9%
Utilisation
11
Indigenous in detention
42
Indigenous in community
71
Males
3
Females
Sentenced vs Remand
AIHW quarterly avg nightly detention, ages 10-17. 54% are unsentenced — on remand, not convicted.
50
Unsentenced (remand)
↓ 32% since 2021-22
42
Sentenced
2023-24Q161
2023-24Q251
2023-24Q351
2023-24Q441
2024-25Q162
2024-25Q265
2024-25Q371
2024-25Q492
SentencedUnsentenced (remand)
Safety in Custody — 10-Year Trend
ROGS 2026 rates per 10,000 custody nights.
All Assaults10per 10K nights
↑ 19% since 2015-16
2015
8
2016
6
2017
4
2018
14
2019
14
2020
14
2021
17
2022
17
2023
13
2024
10
Self-harm & Attempted Suicide0per 10K nights
↓ 33% since 2015-16
2015
0
2016
0
2017
0
2018
0
2019
0
2020
0
2021
1
2022
0
2023
0
2024
0
Cost per day (detention)$7,304(was $1,888 in 2015-16)
Closing the Gap — Target 11
Off TrackIndigenous youth detention rate per 10K — reduce overrepresentation by 2030-31.
Current (2023-24)
7.3
Projected 2030-31
-5.2
How VIC Compares
Victoria vs other states — AIHW Youth Justice 2023-24 & ROGS 2026.
| Metric | QLD | NSW | VIC | WA | NT | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detention rate (per 10K) | 5.1 | 3.6 | 1.4 | 4.2 | 17 | 3.4 |
| Avg daily detention count | 317 | 200 | 120 | 145 | 62 | 950 |
| Indigenous overrepresentation | 26x | 22x | 14x | 24x | 5x | 17x |
| First Nations detention rate (per 10K) | 42 | 32 | 18 | 38 | 25 | 26.1 |
| Avg days in detention | 104 | 55 | 37 | 68 | 45 | 62 |
| Cost per day (detention) | $2,162 | $3,200 | $7,123 | $2,573 | $4,800 | $3,635 |
| % unsentenced (remand) | 86% | 72% | 65% | 78% | 80% | 75% |
| 5-year trend (detention) | +53% | +86% | +37% | -10% | 0% | +19% |
Data from outcomes_metrics database. Sources: AIHW Youth Justice in Australia 2023-24, ROGS 2026 Table 17A.
Closing the Gap: Target 11
Reduce rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people (10-17) in detention by 30% by 2031.
VIC Status
WORSENING
18 per 10K (was 14 in 2019)
National Status
NO CHANGE
26.1 per 10K
Target (2031)
-30%
Need 22.3 per 10K nationally
VIC First Nations Detention Rate Trend
2019-20
14Baseline
2020-21
11COVID dip
2021-22
15
2022-23
17
2023-24
18First Nations detention rate per 10K 10-17yo
1. Who Runs It
Board and leadership for top funded VIC youth justice organisations.
No leadership data
Philip De Young (chair)Andrew Minter (director)Anna Robinson (director)Donald Bruce (director)Elizabeth Etches Rule (director)John Rule (director)Michelle FRENCH (director)Peter Woodbridge (director)+1 more
2. Where the Money Goes
Funding by Local Government Area with SEIFA disadvantage overlay.
| LGA | Orgs | Total Funding | SEIFA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boroondara | 1 | — | 10 |
3. Evidence & Accountability
Australian Living Map of Alternatives (ALMA) evidence for VIC youth justice programs.
48 of 51 interventions have formal evidence94%
Jesuit Social Services Youth Justice Programs VIC
DiversionEffective (strong evaluation, positive outcomes)
Victorian Aboriginal Health Service (VAHS) Youth Programs
Wraparound SupportPromising (community-endorsed, emerging evidence)
Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative Youth Programs
Cultural ConnectionUntested (theory/pilot stage)
Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA) Youth Programs
Cultural ConnectionIndigenous-led (culturally grounded, community authority)
Rumbalara Football Netball Club Youth Programs
PreventionPromising (community-endorsed, emerging evidence)
Aboriginal Community Justice Panels
DiversionPromising (community-endorsed, emerging evidence)
Victoria Police Youth Programs
PreventionPromising (community-endorsed, emerging evidence)
Brotherhood of St Laurence Youth Programs
Education/EmploymentEffective (strong evaluation, positive outcomes)
Melbourne City Mission Youth Services
Wraparound SupportUntested (theory/pilot stage)
Youth Support + Advocacy Service (YSAS)
TherapeuticPromising (community-endorsed, emerging evidence)
Koori Youth Justice Program
Cultural ConnectionUntested (theory/pilot stage)
Baroona Youth Healing Service
TherapeuticPromising (community-endorsed, emerging evidence)
Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service (VALS) Youth Justice
DiversionPromising (community-endorsed, emerging evidence)
Youth Pre-Court Diversion Scheme (YDS)
DiversionPromising (community-endorsed, emerging evidence)
Youth Engagement Grants
PreventionEffective (strong evaluation, positive outcomes)
4. Political Context
Political Donations by Funded Orgs
| Donor | Recipient | Total | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elections ACT | Liberal Party of Australia - ACT Division | $4.7M | 2008-2009–2021-22 |
| Elections ACT - Election Funding | Liberal Party of Australia - ACT Division | $1.6M | 2020-21–2020-21 |
| ELECTIONS ACT | Liberal Party of Australia - ACT Division | $919K | 2022-23–2024-25 |
| Elections ACT | Australian Labor Party (ACT Branch) | $250K | 2008-2009–2009-2010 |
| Elections ACT | Australian Greens, Australian Capital Territory Branch | $101K | 2008-2009–2008-2009 |
Network Graph
Follow the Dollar: VIC Youth Justice
Trace funding flows from budget to recipients, contracts, and lobbying connections
Data sources: AIHW Youth Justice 2023-24, ROGS 2026, Closing the Gap Dashboard, state reports, ACNC, AusTender, ALMA, Hansard, Federal Lobbying Register, AEC Donations. All metrics for 2023-24 unless noted.