Extra dozen beds at Cleveland Youth Detention Centre one month behind schedule
An extra dozen beds set to be built at Cleveland Youth Detention Centre will be ready nearly a month later than scheduled.
Townsville
Don't miss out on the headlines from Townsville. Followed categories will be added to My News.
AN EXTRA dozen beds set to be built at Cleveland Youth Detention Centre will be ready nearly a month later than scheduled.
Minister for Child Safety, Youth and Women Di Farmer said the beds would be ready by early March, instead of February as previously announced.
This will increase the capacity of the centre from 96 to 108.
The juvenile prison has struggled with overcrowding since 17-year-olds were transitioned back into the Youth Justice Act.
The Townsville Bulletin recently reported that children as young as 11 were being locked up in police watchhouses for more than a fortnight as youth detention centres in Queensland struggle with overcrowding.
Ms Farmer said an additional 15 staff would be added to the centre, which currently had 304 workers.
It is understood more than half of those roles will be made up of detention youth workers and section supervisors. The remaining roles will include maintenance officers, human resource and administration staff.
“We are putting boots on the ground to work keeping detainees safe and help manage and rehabilitate antisocial behaviour,” she said.
“Meanwhile, the key to reducing overcrowding in our youth detention facilities lies in reducing the number of kids entering the system in the first place. We are committed to implementing strategies that work, and we know prevention works.”
Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington criticised the nearly month-long construction delay.
“The Government never knew how to manage a project and the Cleveland Youth Detention Centre is a perfect example of that,” she said.
“This is a government that wouldn’t be able to organise ice for Eskimos.”
A quarterly statutory inspection of the youth detention centre in July last year noted the construction of 12 additional beds would not be enough to deal with the increase in detainees.
Originally published as Extra dozen beds at Cleveland Youth Detention Centre one month behind schedule
‘Not where my focus has been’: LNP candidates remain mum on abortion
KAP leader Robbie Katter has accused David Crisafulli of stealing his voters, while the three LNP candidate hopefuls have stated any law changes are ‘not their focus’.
Your guide to the best Melbourne Cup functions in Townsville
From Cluden Park to The Strand, revellers are expected to flock to events across the city, with pubs, clubs and hotel function rooms packed with punters for Australia’s horseracing day of days.