The Australian Greens have successfully established a Senate inquiry into youth justice and detention systems across the country.

On Wednesday evening the Greens motion to establish an inquiry was passed by the Senate.

NSW senator David Shoebridge, the Greens spokesperson for the Attorney General portfolio, said it was the first time a senate inquiry would examine federal responsibility for youth justice.

"It has established for the first time ever a national senate inquiry into youth justice in this country and not just into all the problem we know about, of course we will cover that - the appalling torture-like conditions in jails for kids, in WA, Queensland, the NT, Tasmania; across this country the conditions are appalling, we need that evidence, but critically for us this is the first time ever an inquiry has asked 'what should the Commonwealth be doing?'," he said after the motion passed.

"And it should be more than just wringing its hands like we see from the Albanese government every time we see yet another disastrous incident, a death or an appalling incident in a territory or state jail.

"This is about saying the Commonwealth has all of the international obligations; the (UN Convention on the) rights of the child, UNDRIP (the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples), civil rights, rights against torture: they all lie with the Commonwealth and they do nothing, they just pass the responsibility to the states."

Senator Shoebridge said the inquiry would shine a spotlight on what the federal responsibility should be in handling youth justice.

Indigenous youth are severely over-represented in the youth justice system. Last October, 16-year-old Yamatji boy Cleveland Dodd became the first child on record to die in custody in Western Australia.