Minister Roger Jaensch concedes deadline to close Ashley Youth Detention Centre may be missed

The state’s Children and Youth Minister has given a candid response after being asked whether the government will be able to meet its deadline for closing a notorious detention centre.

Ashley Youth Detention Centre near Deloraine. PICTURE: CHRIS KIDD

Tasmania’s Minister for Children and Youth Roger Jaensch has conceded the state government’s deadline for closing the notorious Ashley Youth Detention Centre may not be met, despite the timeline already having been extended once before.

The Commission of Inquiry into child sexual abuse in Tasmanian institutions recommended last year that the detention centre in the state’s North be closed as a matter of urgency due to numerous instances of sexual abuse having occurred there.

An independent report by Dr Morag MacSween, Maha Melhem, and Tunya Petridis concluded that abuse inside Ashley was “organised, collective, and collaborative”.

Minister for Children and Youth Roger Jaensch. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Former premier Peter Gutwein committed to closing the facility three years ago, saying then that it would be shut in 2024. However, this was later revised to 2026.

Now the government is saying the deadline could be pushed back once again.

Addressing a joint parliamentary committee on the state’s implementation of the commission’s recommendations, Mr Jaensch said on Thursday that the government’s “intention is to drive to the [existing] deadline as best we can”.

“I don’t want to set another arbitrary deadline and then have to speak to you every six months about how close we are to that,” he said.

“What we need to be able to show you and the Tasmanian community and people who are following progress of the obligations we’ve given … is updates on where we’re at and why we’re doing what we’re doing so they can see what the reform is that we’re aiming to deliver.

“Because it’s not as simple as closing one building and opening another. We have to fundamentally redesign the whole approach to our youth justice pipeline so that we end up with fewer young people in detention, fewer young people offending in the first place.”

Independent MLC for Nelson Meg Webb.

As it shifts to a therapeutic youth justice model, the government plans to replace Ashley with a detention facility at Pontville, as well as a support centre and assisted bail facility. An additional support centre and bail facility will also be established in the North.

Independent Nelson MLC Meg Webb said the Liberals’ response to the issue wasn’t good enough.

“We know that AYDC is not a safe environment. The commission told us that very clearly. That’s why they made it a matter of urgency to close it,” she said.

Labor Rumney MLC Sarah Lovell questioned why it was taking so long to finalise plans for the new Pontville facility.

“I don’t think anyone wants an arbitrary timeline – we want a realistic timeline that we can be confident that you’re going to deliver on,” she said.

Originally published as Minister Roger Jaensch concedes deadline to close Ashley Youth Detention Centre may be missed