$250m youth remand centre to open near Brisbane in 2024

Youth and community organisations are split on state government plans for a new $250m youth remand centre at Wacol, which is expected to open some time next year. VOTE IN OUR POLL

• Watch: Crime victim’s explosive ‘f**kers’ spray

A new $250 youth remand centre designed to hold 50 children will be “rapidly” built under the state government’s latest plan to deal with an increase in the number of kids having to be locked up.

The facility, located at Wacol on land owned by Queensland Police, will be constructed “using rapid build technology and a modular design” so it can be up and running at some point in 2024.

Youth and community organisations are split on the move, with some slamming the facility as another “Band-Aid fix” that will entrench children in a cycle of crime while others says it is a positive short-term compromise that’s better than holding kids in watch houses.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s announcement of the facility comes six weeks after the state government controversially rushed through emergency laws which allow children to be held at watch houses indefinitely.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, pictured with Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll, announces a new youth remand facility. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen/Courier Mail

Queensland locks up more children than any other jurisdiction except the Northern Territory and the population behind barshas increased after tougher laws like breach of bail as offence was brought in earlier this year.

The state government has set aside up to $250m to build the facility, which will be done in two phases.

The first phase will be operational in 2024 and have room for 50 children, with the next phase to add up to 30 additionalspots.

Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll would not provide a specific month in 2024 for when the facility will be operational, saying it would be “ridiculous” to do so as the project could be delayed by a bad wet season.

The government’s plan is to use “rapid build” modular technology to put the facility together quickly.

Once the centre is no longer needed for children, Youth Justice will hand it over to Police to use as an adult remand facility.

It is anticipated this will happen when the new youth detention centres planned for Woodford and Cairns are operational, potentially as early as 2026.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said “no one” wanted to see children in watch houses for “extended periods of time”.

“This dedicated remand facility will make sure that young people have a place to go, which is not in long term watch houses,” she said.

Ms Carroll, in an email to staff on Thursday, said the service had been leading the project to design and build the facility for the “past few months”.

She said the facility had been strategically positioned to be built across the road from the Brisbane Youth Detention Centreand the West Moreton Youth Centre to give direct access to educational, medical and therapeutic services.

It would also ease capacity issues in police watch houses she said.

A media conference at the site of a new $250m youth remand centre expected to open in 2024. Picture : Lyndon Mechielsen/Courier Mail

Youth Advocacy Centre chief executive Katherine Hayes said the organisation was aware of “many young people who are being remanded unnecessarily” and whose charges were dismissed as they should have been cautioned rather than locked up.

“This policing approach does not make the community any safer as it entrenches kids in a cycle of crime,” she said.

PeakCare Queensland chief executive Tom Allsop said the centre was a “positive step” in acknowledging there was an urgent need to provide appropriate support for young people given the current system is overwhelmed with demand.

But he warned the state shouldn’t lose sight of the fact long-term solutions for youth offending needed to focus on fixing the causes not responding to the consequences.

Opposition Police spokesman Dale Last said the government’s failure to plan had left the state’s existing detention centres struggling to cope.

He said there were “many question marks about this project”.