Petition to Abolish the Young Offenders Act and Strengthen Responses to Youth Violent Crime

To the Parliament of Parliament of New South Wales,

We, the undersigned, are calling for an urgent review and abolition of the current Young Offenders Act due to the growing increase in serious youth assault offences and violent crimes across our communities.

Communities throughout New South Wales are experiencing increasing concern around repeat youth offending, including violent assaults, home invasions, armed robberies, and attacks causing serious physical and emotional harm. Many victims and families feel the current system prioritises rehabilitation without providing adequate accountability, protection for victims, or deterrence for repeat violent behaviour.

While early intervention and support services remain important, there must also be stronger consequences for serious and repeat violent offending. The current legislation is no longer meeting community expectations for safety and justice.

We call on the Government to:

Abolish or substantially reform the Young Offenders Act.

Introduce stronger penalties for repeat violent youth offenders.

Ensure serious assault offences are dealt with through stronger court processes.

Increase support for victims of youth crime.

Expand early intervention programs focused on preventing violent offending before escalation.

Improve community safety measures and police resources in high-risk areas.

This petition is not about criminalising all young people. It is about recognising the growing impact violent youth crime is having on victims, families, and the wider community, and ensuring laws reflect the seriousness of these offences.

We urge the Government to take immediate action to restore public confidence in the justice system and better protect the community from escalating youth violence.

Recent incidents have highlighted growing community concern about the limitations of the current response to serious youth violence. In some cases, victims have been left hospitalised with severe injuries, including serious concussion, while teachers and other adults attempting to protect children have also been assaulted in the course of carrying out their duties.

When a young person is involved in conduct that results in significant physical harm and the assault of a teacher trying to protect a student, many members of the community question whether cautions alone are an appropriate response. Victims and families are left asking what message is being sent when repeated violent behaviour appears to result in few immediate consequences, limited protective measures, and no effective safeguards to prevent further harm.

We ask: What confidence can victims have in the justice system if serious assaults continue to be met with cautions and there are no meaningful repercussions, intervention orders, or protective arrangements for those affected? While rehabilitation remains an important principle, it must not come at the expense of community safety, victim protection, and accountability for serious and repeat acts of violence.

The justice system must ensure that serious assaults resulting in hospitalisation, attacks on school staff, and repeat violent offending are met with responses that both address the needs of the young person and protect victims from further harm. Victims deserve to feel safe, supported, and assured that their experiences are taken seriously.