Children in a jurisdiction's youth justice system, who are overwhelmingly Indigenous, are going without legal representation and languishing in over-crowded prisons, a parliamentary inquiry has heard.
In a letter from federal Attorney-General Michelle Rowland to her Northern Territory counterpart Marie-Claire Boothby, revealed in budget hearings on Monday, a series of resourcing concerns about the high incarceration rates of children were outlined.
Some children were going before courts with no legal representation, which was inconsistent with international obligations including the Conventions on the Rights of the Child, the letter dated May 20 said.
Officials from the attorney-general's department confirmed that was the case, highlighting increased concerns the Northern Territory government's law amendments have ramped up child incarceration rates.
''How have we got to this point?'' Greens NSW Senator David Shoebridge asked when tabling the letter in the committee.
