The Indigenous leaders of a major justice reform group have called the Western Australian government's cabinet reshuffle a "lost opportunity" to address the state's youth justice crisis.
Social Reinvestment WA co-chairs Daniel Morrison and Glenda Kickett issued a joint statement in response to the reshuffle, which saw Bill Johnston retain his corrective services responsibilities, as well as his three other portfolios (Mines and Petroleum, Energy, and Industrial Relations).
"Minister Johnston has big responsibilities through his four portfolios, and we will do our best to continue providing support and advice where we can in the difficult area of corrective services," they said.
The reshuffle also saw Simone McGurk depart from Child Protection, along with prevention of family and domestic violence and community services, all portfolios she had held since 2017.
Ms Kickett and Mr Morrison said losing the experienced minister would make the task of reforming youth justice "even more complex, given the high percentage of children in the youth justice system who also come from a child protection background".
"However, we note that the solutions are available and have been shared with government. There unfortunately has still been no response to solutions put forward at the Premier's summit, or even acknowledgement of the solutions coming from the community.
"It appears as if the Premier is maintaining his position that 'everything is working well' when it comes to this issue, despite moving on the superintendent at Banksia Hill, facing several legal actions regarding the management of the facility (including a class action and a challenge from Aboriginal Legal Service WA), and a raft of experts and community leaders calling on him to create change."
Ms Kickett and Mr Morrison said the reshuffle represented prioritising "politics, power, and public perceptions" over "what is best for the children, families, and our community".
"We will continue to speak up, and call for change. Fixing this complex issue that is continuing to have catastrophic consequences for the community needs to be a top priority for the WA government in the new year."
