Adventists speak up on youth justice

Seventh-day Adventists were among a group of Australian Christians speaking on Indigenous youth justice issues at Parliament House in Canberra on August 17.

The Common Grace group of 150 Christians from around Australia had meetings with 50 Members of Parliament and Senators, calling for earlier intervention and national leadership in response to youth justice issues, particularly as they disproportionally affect Indigenous young people, who are 23 times more likely to be incarcerated than other young people in Australia.

“I had such a positive experience at my first Common Grace conference where we heard from Indigenous leaders and experts on how communities and governments can support young people to reduce the risks of them entering the youth justice system,” said Adrian Stiles, from Melbourne. “The opportunity to speak with parliamentarians on this topic was initially quite overwhelming, but my experience turned out to be such a rewarding one.”

Church Indigenous leader Pastor Darren Garlett said that he appreciated the opportunity to work with other Indigenous Christian leaders and to meet with Indigenous parliamentarians.

According to Eliza Johnson, policy coordinator for Common Grace, they represent a network of tens of thousands of Christians and churches around Australia, “pursuing justice together for the flourishing of all people and all creation”.

“These are heavy conversations, but I left Parliament feeling hopeful,” she reported. “There was a genuine openness to what we were asking, and a sense that many of our nation’s leaders are ready to consider a different way forward—one where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are loved, not locked up.”—Nathan Brown/Common Grace