Stadium, ferries, salmon, youth justice to top parliamentary question time list

The Macquarie Point Stadium, the TT-Line ferries, the future of the salmon industry and youth justice are expected to dominate question time this week’s sitting of state parliament.

Images from the opening of the new Glenorchy Child and Family Learning Centre.

The Macquarie Point Stadium, the TT-Line ferries, the future of the salmon industry and youth justice are expected to dominate question time this week’s sitting of state parliament.

The Liberal government will be pushing laws to make it easier for police to search suspect of knives and legislation to deliver an election promise to make it easier for renters to have pets in leased housing.

The Tasmanian Greens will attempt to progress their bill making it easier for whistleblowers to present evidence about conditions inside the state’s prisons.

United Workers Union delegate Phillip Pregnall last week told a parliamentary committee that around 400 children detained by police each year were spending as long as three days in watch houses, where they are supervised by under-trained staff and exposed to the worst behaviour of adult prisoners.

“Some of them are in their worst condition they’ve ever been in, like they may be coming heavily down from drugs, they may be suicidal, they will be screaming, abusing, yelling,” he said.

“This is in a small confinement of watch houses at Launceston or Hobart, and everything that is being heard or can be seen is being heard and seen by these young people, 10 to 17 year olds.

“It’s not, I believe, a safe environment for these juveniles.”

Greens corrections spokeswoman Cecily Rosol said it was important that staff could raise concerns about shortcomings in correctional settings.

Greens MP Cecily Rosol. Picture: Stephanie Dalton

“We’ve seen last week that there were corrections staff who are only willing to come forward with the protection of parliamentary privilege,” she said.

“I’ve heard from people who’ve been in prison, who’ve experienced repercussions when they’ve spoken about what’s happening in our prisons — so we know that these protections are needed.”

State political parties are expected to keep a lower profile during the election period to give their federal counterparts a clear run.

Education Minister Jo Palmer opened the new Glenorchy Child and Family Learning Centre on Monday.

The centre provides services and support for both expectant parents and families with children from birth to age five.

“This is a safe place where parents can come, grandparents and carers can come where they have those wraparound services to help them be the best family that they can be for the little person in their life,” she said.

“It’s a really safe space. It’s a fun space.”

Images from the opening of the new Glenorchy Child and Family Learning Centre.

Glenorchy’s is the last of the six centres to be delivered across the State as part of a $28m commitment, bringing the total number of CFLCs in Tasmania to 18.

And Labor’s Luke Edmonds, campaigning for re-election in Pembroke, highlighted issues around housing in his electorate.

“RTI documents show that at the start of 2025 there are 208 social housing properties in Pembroke that are under-utilised and another 32 that are completely unoccupied,” he said.

“Tasmania’s housing crisis is well documented, and so is the Liberal government’s failure to build enough houses over the last decade they’ve been in power.”

Originally published as Stadium, ferries, salmon, youth justice to top parliamentary question time list