The Australian Greens will move a motion in the Senate on Wednesday to establish an inquiry into Australia's child justice and incarceration system.

The nationwide inquiry would look into the outcomes and impacts of child incarceration across Australia, the over-incarceration of First Nations children, and the systems' treatment of the human rights of children in detention.

Last month National Children's Commissioner Anne Hollonds tabled a report in federal parliament calling for child wellbeing to be made a national priority, and for the federal government to lead coordinated national reform of the youth justice system based on evidence and human rights.

Indigenous children are drastically over-represented in youth prisons across the country.

On Tuesday, the peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services said they are bracing for a crisis of child incarceration as governments across the country embrace punitive policies and abandon Closing the Gap commitments.

Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Djab Wurrung senator Lidia Thorpe urged the federal government to back the national inquiry.

The independent senator for Victoria said a clearer federal response is warranted in recognition of nationwide concern about youth offending and reported human rights violations against incarcerated children in multiple jurisdictions.

"Albanese has been talking all week about keeping children safe from social media, what about keeping children safe from abuse in prison?" she said.

"Countries around the world are successfully implementing alternative, evidence-based approaches to child accountability. Last week Scotland removed all children from child prisons. The Albanese government is falling far behind.

"Across our country, children are being severely neglected and abused in child prisons. And there's clear evidence that the approaches being pursued by state and territory governments don't make communities safer, they just create more long-term problems."

Senator Thorpe said "enough is enough".

"The States and Territories are failing. They've demonstrated an appalling willingness to weaponise people's fear and damage children's lives for their own political benefit. It's time that the federal government take this seriously," she said.

"We need strong, decisive, federal leadership to ensure children's rights are protected, and that justice policies are based on evidence about what actually works, not on populism or trying to appear 'tough'.

"This inquiry would be an opportunity for federal parliamentarians to work together to solve the problems that children and communities across the country are facing."

Senator Thorpe said the Prime Minister had engaged in "an appalling abrogation of responsibility".

"There is plenty the federal government can and should do. And Albanese should remember that compliance with human rights is a federal responsibility," she said.

"The federal government needs to bring the states and territories together and cooperate to resolve these issues. They have done this for domestic violence, and they should do it for children who are at risk.

"I am calling on the Prime Minister, the new Indigenous Australians Minister, and the Attorney General to start leading positive change."

Senator Thorpe urged the government to work with First Peoples, and the health and community sectors, to create strong federal frameworks for policing and prisons that hold the states and territories accountable and stop the violence and abuse.

"They need to properly resource alternative approaches that prioritise care, wellbeing and rehabilitation. This inquiry can be part of that," she said.

National Indigenous Times has contacted the federal Attorney General, Mark Dreyfus, for comment.