In alarming news for the safety of children and young people, the Rockliff Government has confirmed the closure of Ashley Youth Detention Centre will be further delayed.
The Commission of Inquiry highlighted the human rights violations and harm being caused to children at AYDC and made it clear that it was not safe and needed to close as soon as possible. Rather than listening to the COI, the Rockliff Government is dragging its heels.
In announcing their New Tasmanian Youth Justice Facility Masterplan, the government has said that their new detention facility will not be completed until 2027 at the earliest – and possibly later. In practice that means children will continue to be sent to Ashley until at least 2028, if not longer.
The delays to closing AYDC are made even more shameful by the government’s other policies. Their so-called ‘tough on crime’ approach is resulting in more children being sent to Ashley, when the number is supposed to be reducing.
If the Rockliff Government was committed to implementing the Commission of Inquiry’s recommendations, they would have made work on closing Ashley a top priority, and we would not be seeing these delays. They would also stop with their appalling policy of sending even more children and young people to a detention centre that frequently breaches their rights and causes them harm.
