A Collective Responsibility: Addressing Youth Crime Beyond the School Gates

With the permission of the individual involved, I am sharing a heartfelt and deeply thoughtful exchange between a colleague and myself in response to the recent announcement by Minister Carroll regarding youth crime and behaviour and the enhanced powers given to principals to address matters outside the school gates.

The sentiments expressed could have come from any principal across our outstanding government school system. They reflect the unwavering dedication, compassion, and deep sense of responsibility that our school leaders and teachers bring to their roles each and every day, often going far beyond what is formally expected of them.

These concerns, while particularly acute in some communities, speak to broader systemic challenges. They highlight a critical truth, this being that schools cannot carry the weight of these societal issues alone.

It must be acknowledged that the support and wellbeing work being undertaken in our schools is rarely captured in the traditional metrics used to evaluate performance. The acts of care, the countless hours spent mentoring vulnerable students, the community engagement, and the efforts to create safe and supportive environments, all form the backbone of what keeps many young people from falling through the cracks. Yet none of this appears in league tables, NAPLAN scores, or simplistic rankings of school “success.”

If we are to make real progress in addressing youth crime and supporting our young people, then we must take a whole-of-community approach. This means working across education, social services, justice, and health sectors, backed by policies and resourcing that reflect the complexity and depth of the issue.

Policy makers must ensure that the voices of educators, who are so often the first to see the signs and the first to act, are not only heard, but truly valued in shaping the way forward.

Hi Tina,

I felt compelled to write regarding the machete article.

I have more knowledge than most.

I personally know many young men who have committed awful crimes with machetes.

They are my ex-students, siblings of current students, children of my families.

One of these men who was the leader of the Gang is smart, funny, has a heart of gold and could be an incredible leader - except when involved in the gang violence. He is respectful of me and has come for my help in the past. He has been locked up. He was expelled from school.

He is now not in a gang, he has a full time job, he is a father and works to diffuse possible violence in others. This is such a complex question.  These students should have received trauma counselling when they arrived from war. They need mental health support now. But the thing they need the most is to feel they belong. They join a gang to belong because they don’t feel it anywhere else. They need education. 

Surely we don’t want them to choose crime because they can’t get a job?

It is not easy. I know the challenges.

But these kids need our help. 

I have heard of younger students coerced by threats to committing crimes. I worry they will be expelled for their actions, rather than supported to leave the negative influence. Most of these students have families who love them, they are not bad people, they are struggling and need help too. Will they be expelled if forced into a crime?

Nothing is a one size fits all. Nothing is so simple

I love these kids.

Thanks for listening.

School Principal (Outer Melbourne Metro Area)

Responding to such raw and heartfelt communication like this is deeply challenging, as we recognise that  systems and, more broadly, the community, is failing a cohort of young people. The most reflective and appropriate response I could offer was the following:

Dear Principal (name withheld)

Thank you so much for reaching out and for sharing such a heartfelt and deeply personal perspective. Your message powerfully highlights the complexity of the issue, and I truly appreciate the courage and care it took to write it.

You're absolutely right—there are no simple answers. These young people are navigating layers of trauma, displacement, and disconnection. What you've described so vividly reinforces the fact that punitive measures alone are not the answer. Expulsion, isolation, or criminalisation without addressing the root causes only perpetuates harm and pushes these kids further away from the support they so desperately need.

There needs to be more investment in timely, meaningful interventions—mental health services, trauma-informed care, consistent adult relationships, and strong educational pathways. Most importantly, as you so clearly expressed, we need to create environments where these young people feel they belong. Belonging can be a powerful antidote to violence, and it’s something we can actively build into our schools and communities.  Teachers and principals however cannot do this on their own and we need to bring these services and supports into schools with the expertise that is required to deliver.

Your story about the young man who turned things around is so important—it’s a reminder of what’s possible when someone is given another chance, along with the right support. 

Thank you again for your honest and compassionate advocacy. Your love for these kids is clear, and it matters. We must keep working and advocating to respond not with exclusion, but with care, connection, and support right at the point of need.

Kind regards

Tina King