How Michael is creating change centred in culture

Proud Barrungam and Gunggari man and youth mentor Michael Phelan was taught from a young age that leadership is about responsibility to others, not position or title. 

“Community, culture and accountability were central to how I was raised and those values guide how I mentor and support young people today,” he says. 

Grounded in these beliefs, Michael, who is currently studying a Diploma of Leadership and Management at Swinburne, established the Reconnect mentoring program at the Bimberi Youth Justice Centre. 

Building trust centred in culture 

“I built Reconnect because I could see a gap that wasn’t being filled. For a long time, young people at Bimberi were asked to change without being given anything real to hold onto.

“Programs came and went, nothing stayed long enough to build trust. As an Aboriginal man working inside the centre, I could see how damaging that was for mob.”

Reconnect has now been running for six years, the longest Aboriginal-led program in the centre’s history. 

“The program is simple but intentional. It’s vocational training and mentoring through hospitality. I train young people to be baristas, but what we’re really teaching is confidence, responsibility, teamwork, and belief in their own capability.”

“I learned quickly that mentoring across a desk doesn’t work in detention. For many of these young people, sitting face-to-face feels like another interview, assessment or moment where they’re being judged. But when we work side by side, hands busy, learning a real skill, the pressure drops. That’s when they talk, and trust builds,” Michael says.

Breaking the cycle of reoffending through connection 

Through the Reconnect program, Michael has seen first-hand that when conditions change, outcomes change. This is what drives his passion to break the cycle of reoffending among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth.

“I am driven by the reality that reoffending is not a reflection of individual failure; it is the predictable outcome of systems that were never designed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people to succeed.”

"Three out of five young people in detention are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander – that is 60 per cent of the youth detention population – while our people make up just 2.8 per cent of Australia’s population. That level of overrepresentation is not a reflection of our communities. It is a reflection of systemic and institutional racism embedded across the determinants of health, education, housing and justice.”

"By the time a young person reaches detention, multiple systems have already failed them. Child protection, school systems, health services, housing stability and community supports have all intersected in ways that increase surveillance rather than opportunity. Youth justice becomes the endpoint where those failures converge. Reoffending then becomes almost inevitable if nothing in that system fundamentally changes.”

“However, when culture is centred, when young people are treated as capable, when pathways to education and employment are real and continuous, behaviour shifts sustainably. That tells me the issue is not motivation or potential. It is system design.”

A safe space

Michael says his time at Swinburne has informed and strengthened his leadership approach. 

“The course reinforced the importance of clear communication, setting expectations and supporting people to grow rather than simply reacting to challenges. These learnings have helped me mentor young people more effectively by balancing care with accountability and creating environments where people feel supported to take responsibility for their actions.” 

The Moondani Toombadool Centre has been actively supporting Michael during his time at Swinburne.

“The Moondani Toombadool Centre feels safe, and it also gives you confidence to keep going. People don’t just walk in once and disappear. They keep coming back because it feels good to be there and because they feel looked after. It keeps people connected when things get heavy and reminds you that you’re not doing this on your own,” he says.

Turning recognition into continued action

Michael was recently nominated for the 2026 Australian of the Year awards, in the Local Hero for ACT category. 

To him, this nomination is a platform to shine a light on the issues and fuels his passion even more.

“I don’t see this nomination as recognition of me as an individual, I see it as a platform. It reinforces my responsibility to change outcomes. Three out of five young people in detention are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. That is not acceptable, and I carry a personal commitment to see that number halved in my lifetime.” 

“Being nominated means I have a bigger microphone, and with that comes accountability; to speak truth, push for change, and make sure this moment is used to shine a light on the real issues driving incarceration, reoffending, and deaths in custody.”

“I’m proud of the nomination, but I’m more focused on what I do with it. For me, this is not the end of the journey, it is a responsibility to keep going.”