Content Warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised the following includes the names of First Nations people who have passed away. This email also includes distressing content.
We're reflecting on the children and families we’ve stood alongside, and the urgent work still ahead.
Across Australia, children are being harmed by the government and systems that are meant to protect them, through racism, over-policing, detention and denied healthcare.At the National Justice Project, we work alongside families to challenge these injustices and push for lasting change.
With just one week left until the End of the Financial Year, gifts are currently being doubled and will help us continue taking on cases, holding institutions accountable and pushing for a future where every child is safe to simply be a child.
This month, we're also sharing what the Mark Haines findings mean after almost 40 years, and how you can support alternatives to police-led crisis responses.
News and Updates
Every child deserves the freedom to just be a child.
Every child deserves the freedom to just be a child. Yet across Australia, government policies and systems continue to harm children through racism, over-policing, detention and family separation. We work alongside families to challenge these injustices, seek accountability and push for change. This EOFY, your support is being doubled and will help us continue standing with communities and working towards a future where all children are safe and cared for.- Watch Appeal video (2 mins)
- Learn more
REPORTING | Coroner rules out suicide in death of Mark Haines
The Coroner has ruled out suicide as the cause of death of Gomeroi teenager Mark Anthony Haines and strongly criticised the way NSW Police investigated his death. Mark was 17 when he was found on train tracks outside Tamworth on 16 January 1988. The Coroner also found that racial bias likely influenced the response to his death. For decades, Mark’s family has fought for answers about what happened to him, showing extraordinary strength, dignity and perseverance in their fight for justice.BUILDING | Momentum for alternatives to police
More than 200 people joined our Alternative First Responders: Turning Ideas into Action webinar from across Australia to discuss practical alternatives to police-led crisis responses. Speakers shared how health workers and grassroots organisations are already responding safely to health and social crises without the need for police interactions. The conversation focused on the urgent need for governments to invest in community-led models that are already keeping people safe.RAISING | Concerns over rushed child protection reforms
Children's connections to family, community and culture are at risk under proposed changes to NT child protection laws. In a submission to the Legislative Scrutiny Committee, we have raised concerns that the reforms are being rushed through without meaningful consultation with First Nations communities.NSW | GOV | HEARING | Your say: Mental health and policing interactions in NSW | survey closes 30 June 2026
When someone is in crisis, they deserve care, not force. Right now, the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission is reviewing how NSW Police respond to mental health call outs. Lived experience is powerful evidence and it matters. Share your perspectives.The impact of racism on First Nations children
Speaking on SBS's The Point this month, National Justice Project's Ariane Dozer discussed the rise in racism across Australia and the growing number of reports involving First Nations children. Ariane highlighted the devastating impact racism has on children captured by the Call It Out First Nations Racism Register delivered by the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research and the National Justice Project.- Watch the full episode (56 mins)
HIGHLIGHTING | In the Media
- Gadens secures win in LawHack legal innovation challenge via Australian Lawyer, 20 May 2026
- Complaint by Aboriginal families forced to leave Inverell pool accepted via NITV, 29 May 2026
- Employers urged to move beyond symbolism to tackle workplace racism via NIT, 1 June 2026
- Inside Australia’s mental health response systems via Farrago Magazine, 3 June 2026
- Convicted Nauru deportees could sue under High Court ruling via The Australian, 11 June 2026
- Unlawfully detained asylum seekers can sue for millions after High Court decision via The Herald Sun, 12 June 2026
SUPPORTING | Social Justice
The National Justice Project is funded by donors committed to the fight for social justice.
As a Public Benevolent Institution, The National Justice Project is endorsed as a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) covered by Item 1 of the table in section 30-15 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997. Donations of $2.00 or more are tax deductible.
Kind Regards,
The National Justice Project Team
MORE:
National Justice Project (NJP)
Address: PO Box 123, Broadway NSW 2007
Tel: +61 2 9514 4440
We acknowledge that we live and work on the lands of First Nations Peoples, and we pay our respects to their Elders past and present. Our Sydney office is located on the lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation, whose sovereignty was never ceded. This land always was, and always will be, Aboriginal land.