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This submission presents a place-based perspective on youth justice, focusing on how access to opportunity, community infrastructure and early intervention shape outcomes for young people. It highlights the structural drivers of youth disengagement in Greater Western Sydney and outlines practical, prevention-focused approaches to reduce contact with the justice system. 

A different lens on youth justice 

Much of the public conversation around youth justice focuses on policing, courts and detention.

These are important.
But they sit at the end of the pipeline, not the beginning.

The inquiry itself recognises that young people come into contact with the justice system due to a combination of factors, including:

• school disengagement

• housing instability

• poverty and family stress

• limited access to services.

GWSAN’s submission builds on this by asking a different question:

What role do place, infrastructure and access to opportunity play in shaping these outcomes?

The Western Sydney context 

Greater Western Sydney is one of the fastest-growing regions in Australia and home to more than 2.7 million people.

It also has one of the largest youth populations in the country.

In many areas, particularly outer growth suburbs, communities are being developed rapidly. However, the supporting systems are not always keeping pace.

Young people in these areas often face:

• long travel times to education and training

• limited access to youth services

• fewer safe community spaces

• reduced access to local employment opportunities.

These are not isolated issues. They are structural conditions that influence whether young people remain connected to education, employment and community life.

From disengagement to justice involvement 

The submission highlights how these structural barriers can contribute to youth disengagement.

When young people lose connection to school, employment or their community, the risk of negative outcomes increases.

Importantly, these drivers are not evenly distributed. They are often concentrated in communities experiencing:

• rapid population growth

• infrastructure gaps

• limited service provision.

Addressing youth justice therefore requires more than system reform. It requires addressing the conditions that shape young people’s pathways.

Community infrastructure as prevention 

A key focus of the submission is the role of community infrastructure.

Facilities such as youth centres, sports facilities, libraries and community hubs provide what are often referred to as “third spaces”, places outside home and school where young people can connect and participate.

These spaces support:

• social connection

• access to mentoring

• participation in structured activities

• informal pathways to support services.

Where these spaces are missing, young people have fewer opportunities to engage in positive activities.

The submission argues that investment in youth infrastructure should be seen as a form of early intervention, not an optional add-on.

Learning from youth-led initiatives  

The submission also includes a case study of the Loofern Project, a youth-led initiative in Waterloo.

Following the temporary closure of a youth centre, young people created their own informal exercise program to maintain connection and activity within their community.

This initiative demonstrates two important points:

• young people are capable of leading solutions

• small, community-driven programs can have meaningful impact.

While not located in Western Sydney, the model highlights what is possible in communities where young people are supported to take ownership of local initiatives.

🔗 Related: The Fair Share Framework: Youth empowerment

Addressing inequality and overrepresentation 

The submission also acknowledges the disproportionate impact of the youth justice system on Aboriginal children.

Addressing this requires culturally appropriate, community-led programs that support early engagement and prevent young people from entering the justice system.

More broadly, the submission highlights how inequality, particularly in access to services and infrastructure, plays a role in shaping outcomes across communities.

A call for better data and targeted investment 

To support more effective policy responses, GWSAN proposes the development of a Western Sydney Youth Opportunity Index.

This would map access to:

• youth services

• community infrastructure

• education and training

• transport connectivity

• employment opportunities.

The goal is simple: identify where young people face the greatest barriers and target investment accordingly.

Moving from response to prevention 

The key message of the submission is that reducing youth justice involvement requires a shift in thinking.

From:

responding to youth justice outcomes

To:

designing communities that reduce the likelihood of those outcomes occurring

This means aligning planning, infrastructure, education and youth policy in a way that supports young people before they disengage.

Why this matters 

Greater Western Sydney is at the forefront of Australia’s growth.

The choices made now about how communities are planned, serviced and supported will shape outcomes for a generation of young people.

If we invest in youth opportunity, community infrastructure and early intervention, we can reduce the number of young people entering the justice system.

If we do not, the consequences will be felt across communities, services and systems for years to come.

Read the full submission

GWSAN’s submission contributes a place-based perspective to the youth justice conversation, one that focuses on prevention, equity and long-term outcomes.

If you’re working in planning, policy, community services or advocacy, this is a conversation worth engaging in.

[Read the full submission →] 

Download PDF 

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