Petition to close Don Dale set to be tabled in NT Parliament by Mark Guyula
More than 12,000 Australians have put their voices to an urgent call to close the detention centre in the Top End, with debate on the matter set to reach NT parliament. WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Northern Territory
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A PETITION calling for the closure of the Don Dale Detention Centre will be tabled in NT parliament after being signed by more than 12,000 Australians.
Amnesty International has handed the list to Independent MLA Mark Guyula, after Territory Families Minister Kate Worden reportedly refused to receive it - a claim she denies.
The organisation has been calling on the Labor government to fulfil its election promise to close down Don Dale, with Amnesty’s Indigenous rights campaigner Maggie Munn slamming the facility as “dangerous”.
“Witnesses on the ground have told Amnesty International Australia that kids need to huddle in corners of their cells to avoid being rained on, and are being forced to stay in their cells for 9-hours a day due to short-staffing,” Ms Munn said.
“When are we going to accept that locking kids up doesn’t work? It doesn’t reduce crime and it ruins children’s lives.”
Ms Munn called for more resources to be put into youth diversion programs.
Mr Guyula said he would table the petition to protect the current approach, which he said was “not working”.
“I do not want to see any more young people in Don Dale,” he said.
“I want to see a strong effort for working with communities on local solutions.”
Territory Families Minister Kate Worden has however denied she refused to accept the petition and said reforms were ongoing in the space.
“We are building a new facility in Darwin and Alice Springs. This work is happening, and it will further strengthen our youth justice reforms,” Ms Worden said.
“Investment in youth justice programs has grown from $22 million in 2016-17 to $68.8 million in 2020-21.
“Our Back on Track program is seeing investment in boot camps that will provide intensive intervention to break the cycle of youth crime.”
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