Jaensch backs Brahminy $274k ‘tough love camp’ and says kids won’t be coming home

Investigations are underway on a camp for wayward kids in the Northern Territory – which costs $274,000 per child – but they won’t be brought home in the meantime.

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A SENIOR staffer from Communities Tasmania will go to the Northern Territory to check on the welfare of six local children in an outback tough love camp “as soon as possible”, Human Services Minister Roger Jaensch says.

The Minister today told a reporter allegations against the camp’s operator were being investigated but the children would not be brought home.

The government is paying $274,000 per child per year for the NT program, which, uses tough love techniques for children who are not suited to mainstream programs locally.

Jack Laidlaw and Allan Brahminy with a few of the resident animals at the Brahminy Foundation rehabilitation facility.

“There’s been a range of allegations raised in the media this week regarding the Many Colours One Direction program and its founder Alan Brahminy and his life story and his name changes and we’re taking those allegations very seriously and we will be following them up as a matter of urgency,” Mr Jaensch said.

There were no complaints about the programs efficacy or safety and it was important to provide continuity for children who had begun to show promising results, he told reporters.

“There is evidence that this program is achieving results for these kids, where other programs have failed them in the past.

“I need to be very careful that I don’t take any knee jerk reaction to a media report, the demands of our political opponents to step in, in a way that would jeopardise the progress that those kids are making in this program.

Minister Roger Jaensch in state parliament.

“We’ve found a program that’s been able to get through to them and help them where other programs have failed.

“We don’t want to disrupt that without good reason.”

He said that it would be desirable to offer a similar program in Tasmania, but efforts to do so had not been successful to date.

And Mr Jaensch said he had no intention of resigning over an answer to a question in state parliament about tenancy law which opposition parties say was misleading.

“I’m happy with the answer that I gave. I did not mislead the parliament,” he said

“The question was asked has the government made a decision to change the law. The answer’s no and so therefore I don’t think there was anything misleading.

“I don’t intend to change my answer.”

Greens MP Rosalie Woodruff said everything Mr Jaensch’s “continuing lack of honesty” was disturbing.

“How can Tasmanians trust a word Minister Jaensch says about his portfolios, when everything he says is mistrust and misdirection to save his political skin.”

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Originally published as Jaensch backs Brahminy $274k ‘tough love camp’ and says kids won’t be coming home