It is deeply concerning to learn that Minister for Children and Young People Jo Palmer is completely unaware of concerns raised by the Office of the Independent Regulator about Ashley Youth Detention Centre.
On 5 February at a public hearing of the Parliamentary committee examining the government’s response to the Commission of Inquiry, the Independent Regulator – responsible for administering Tasmania’s child and youth safe organisations framework – Louise Coe raised concerns about the lack of training of AYDC staff.
Asked if she is satisfied with the training of current staff at AYDC, Ms Coe said: “No, I’m not satisfied.” She told the committee that she was “really concerned” that when an incident occurs between staff and young people at the centre, there is no feedback to staff on how they can better handle the incident. She also said she was worried about the fact that “time and time again there’s a lack of de-escalation… There’s an immediate reaction and it results in physical violence.”
These are very serious issues, but asked about them on Wednesday Minister Palmer told media “No, I’m not aware of that matter, and that’s probably a matter for the Secretary”.
This is an unacceptable response. How can the Minister not know about such a critical issue? And why is she trying to suggest it’s not her problem?
It is the Minister’s responsibility to make sure children and young people at Ashley are safe – but they are clearly less safe because of the lack of training they’re being given. It is up to the Minister to do what is necessary to fix this situation.
More than two years on from the Commission of Inquiry, we simply must do better than this as a state. The Minister and the government as a whole need to make sure the safety of children and young people is their top priority, and give these issues the focus they deserve.
