Ms ROSOL question to PREMIER, Mr ROCKLIFF
You have made a big deal about the need to ensure we meet the AFL deadlines for the construction of the stadium. You have also talked about the stadium’s importance to young Tasmanians. Premier, the commission of inquiry (COI) recommended that Ashley Youth Detention Centre be closed as soon as possible. We still have not seen any meaningful progress towards AYDC’s closure. You decided not to meet recommended COI timeframes for training for child safety officers in understanding sexual abuse and grooming, departmental representation in court for children in out‑of‑home care, mental health diversions for children in the justice system, and empowering magistrates to order therapeutic interventions for children displaying harmful sexual behaviours. Your priorities for the future of children are wrong way round. Why are you treating the AFL’s timelines as sacred and the COI timeframes as optional?
ANSWER
Honourable Speaker, I thank the member for the question. I reject your question utterly. We have made very clear commitments to investing in the recommendations of the commission of inquiry report, first accepting the recommendations and then, as our last budget clearly outlined, investing significantly in ensuring those recommendations are fulfilled in the support and safety of our young people.
On 1 December 2023, we released ‘Keeping Children Safe and Rebuilding Trust’, our response to the final report of the commission of inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s responses to child sexual abuse in institutional settings. Last budget we invested $35.86 million over the forward Estimates to improve the youth justice system in Tasmania and implement commission of inquiry recommendations.
Our actions must give meaning to the commission of inquiry’s report and they must reflect the hope that we all have for the future of this and coming generations of Tasmanian children. We are committed to closing Ashley Youth Detention Centre as soon as possible. I am sure the Minister for Children and Youth, Mr Jaensch, can provide a more detail in terms of your question. The new facility is part of a broader reform program aimed at improving youth justice in Tasmania by providing a therapeutic model of care that focuses on rehabilitation and intensive intervention for young people in detention. The design of the new facility is underway with the Tasmanian youth justice facility master plan scheduled to be publicly released shortly.
