Guards at Victoria's youth detention facilities receive a total of just half-an-hour of Aboriginal cultural training, which isn't good enough, the new report says.
There are also only four Aboriginal liaison officers available to young detainees even though Koori young people are over-represented in custody, the report by the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission and the Commission for Children and Young People says.
Report authors were told new youth justice centre secure services staff receive 30 minutes of cultural competency training "that primarily deals with the procedural knowledge necessary in their roles".
The report also recommended that Aboriginal children be granted leave to attend funerals for extended family members and the minimal use of restraints, such as shackles, "particularly when a young person is a pall bearer".
Justin Mohamed, a Gooreng Gooreng man and the commissioner for Aboriginal children and young people, argued that improving cultural sensitives in the justice system would reduce re-offending rates.
"We know Aboriginal children and young people are starkly over-represented in youth justice, and the proportion is growing," he said in a statement.
"We must also address the reality that Aboriginal cultural rights are too often ignored in youth detention."
AAP and NITV Staff Writer
