IN SHORT:

• Barwon MP Roy Butler is calling for an urgent, independent review into 1$\text{\$300}$ million of government youth service funding in the Far West, which he labels "ghost services" with few measurable outcomes.2
• He proposes a trial to give magistrates the power to refer young, lower-level offenders to compulsory residential programs (like the flagged Yetta Dhinnakkal Centre) as a low-cost alternative to expensive Juvenile Justice incarceration.
• The proposal follows a meeting with NSW Premier Chris Minns, who last week announced a $\text{\$23M}$ state-wide youth crime funding package focusing on bail support and expanding 'place-based' responses in areas like Moree, Tamworth, and Kempsey.

Member for Barwon Roy Butler MP has recently escalated his campaign regarding youth crime with a proposed program that focuses on two key initiatives: a major review of youth services and a trial of compulsory residential programs for young offenders.

Mr. Butler is calling for an urgent, in-depth review of existing government-funded youth services in Barwon. He has previously labeled many of these as "ghost services" programs that receive substantial funding, with few measurable outcomes, according to the independent member.  

According to Mr Butler, $300million has been spent on youth services in his electorate.

Mr. Butler recently met with NSW Premier Chris Minns, along with mayors and general managers from the Coonamble, Bourke, Walgett and Brewarrina shires, to discuss his proposal, which also included a discussion on increasing criminal responsibility for 10-13-year-olds (reforming doli incapax).

Mr Butler argued for a third option for young offenders -something between being released back into the community and being sent to custody.

Mr Butler has long pushed for a systemic overhaul of youth support in the far west, focusing on local, community-driven diversion programs as a circuit breaker for the cycle of minor youth offending. He is calling for a trial to give magistrates the power to refer young offenders to compulsory residential programs as an alternative to incarceration in Juvenile Justice for minor or lower-level crimes.

“What we need are diversionary diversionary programs and residential programs where a magistrate can send young people rather than send them into a custodial sentence,” Mr Butler told Back Country Bulletin.

“Putting someone in JJ's (the juvenile justice system) costs about $2 million a year. We can put them into a residential program which would cost a fraction of that.”

Brewarrina's former outdoor prison, the Yetta Dhinnakkal Centre, has been flagged as a potential trial site.

Mr Butler said there needs to be a change to legislation for the magistrates to be able to compel those young people into a residential program, but existing infrastructure in the four trial local government areas will be used.

In the past, Mr Butler Butler has criticised the NSW Government's youth crime package for focusing on areas like Moree while neglecting the greater Far West region, and he has urged the Premier to ensure that all affected communities receive equitable attention and resources.

Community groups, such as Galuma-li managed by the Walgett Dharriwaa Elders Group, support Butler’s call for community-led solutions, advocating for culturally grounded support and safe spaces over punitive measures.

Last week, after meeting with Mr Butler and mayors, NSW Premier Chris Minns announced a $23 million funding package, aimed at tackling youth crime.

““These are complex issues that won’t be solved overnight, but we are in this for the long haul,” Premier Minns said

“What we don’t want to see is young people wrapped up in the justice system again and again, which is why this package is a balance of intervention, prevention and wrap-around support measures.”

The state-wide package includes The funding package includes $12 million to continue place-based responses in Moree, and expand responses in Tamworth and Kempsey

The funding will invest $6.3 million to go towards intensive bail supervision and support, including five caseworkers in Moree, two in Tamworth and two in Kempsey, more regular check-ins with young people on bail, and the completion of the Moree Bail Accommodation Service.

The announcement also included $5 million for a new Community Safety Investment Fund, to back local initiatives that prevent or respond to youth offending, strengthen families, and build safer, more cohesive communities.