The Koorie Youth Council (KYC) is pleased that the Victorian Parliament passed the Children, Youth and Families Amendment (Stability) Bill 2025. This means that families and caseworkers will now have flexible timelines and support to help families reunite, rather than facing strict deadlines that often lead to permanent separation.
Until now, the child protection system required parents to reunite with their children within a strict 12-month timeframe, without adequate consideration of community-specific barriers or provision of necessary support. This rigid process often led to the permanent removal of children and contributed to Victoria’s high rate of Aboriginal child removals. The new legislation promotes necessary flexible timeframes, providing a more equitable and responsive process.
KYC welcomes the removal of rigid timeframes, a key achievement aligned with longstanding community demands and the Yoorrook Justice Commission’s recommendations. This change results from the persistent advocacy and leadership of Aboriginal people and recognises the need for self-determination in decision-making about children. The Bill represents a significant shift by prioritising systemic change over blaming individuals, enabling families and community more time to access place-based support or treatment that they may need to better facilitate their healing journeys.
We urge the government to ensure these changes are supported with adequate funding and resources, so no families and individuals will struggle to meet requirements if waitlists are too long.
“Decades of advocacy and hard work from the Victorian Aboriginal community, sector experts and ACCOs, and wider communities have led to this Bill being passed. This milestone builds on the legacy of landmark moments such as the Bringing Them Home report, which highlighted the trauma of forced child removals and the urgent need for change. Our children and young people now have the chance to reunify their families. There is plenty more work to be done within the child protection system and justice system, but we believe this is a positive step in the right direction. We stand with young mob facing these distressing experiences and remind them that we will continue the fight so that they have a fair and just future.” – Bonnie Dukakis, CEO of KYC.
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