Nearly $900,000 in Lotterywest support is being provided to the Shire of Derby-West Kimberley to bolster resources, programs and facilities for local youths.
The funding will support a staged Derby-Fitzroy revitalisation project to provide better services and infrastructure for youths, with the aim of reducing disadvantage and breaking the cycle of offending.
The Shire of Derby-West Kimberley services a population around 8,200 across Derby, Fitzroy Crossing, Camballin and 54 Aboriginal communities.
Support from Lotterywest will allow the shire to fund a commuter bus for youth service activities, custom trailers equipped to provide mobile outreach and staff costs.
Over the long-term, the project seeks to restore a sense of pride and belonging in young people and the wider community, increase community participation, and reduce vulnerability and disadvantage.
The $868,150 for the shire's program complements the McGowan Government's $40.4 million commitment in the 2022-23 State Budget to the Kimberley Youth and Community Justice Response and the Closing the Gap Implementation Plan.
This includes the expansion of the successful Target 120 early intervention program to four new locations in the Kimberley, including Broome, Halls Creek, Fitzroy Crossing and Derby.
The Western Australian State Budget also included $15 million towards an on-country residential facility for young offenders as an alternative to detention.
As stated by Aboriginal Affairs Minister Dr Tony Buti:
"It takes all parts of society to work on complex issues like youth offending, but funding opportunities like this are also an important step.
"Much of the Kimberley Youth and Community Justice Response is community-led, which is key to providing culturally appropriate solutions.
"This is all about empowering young people to realise their potential through support, education and guidance.
"The Lotterywest support continues the WA Government's progress towards meeting the outcomes in the WA Closing the Gap Implementation Plan, in particular, that Aboriginal young people are not overrepresented in the criminal justice system."
