Territory Families failed to report four assaults on workers in Don Dale, Alice Springs youth justice centres

Assaults on workers in the infamous Don Dale and Alice Springs youth detention centres were not properly reported to the federal government.

Four workers who were hospitalised following assaults in Territory youth justice centres were not reported to the federal government.

The Productivity Commission requests a record of all assaults on workers and children from the NT government, with incidents classed as serious when someone is treated or admitted to hospital.

However, this does not include people who were only triaged in the emergency department.

Territory Families reported there were no serious assaults in Don Dale or Alice Springs in the past financial year, while four workers and 52 children were injured and needed medical treatment but not hospitalisation.

Territory Families has not reported a single “serious assault” of a staff member or a child in detention in five years. Picture: KERI MEGELUS

Despite Territory Families claiming none of their staff had been involved in a “serious assault”, NT Worksafe said there were four notifiable incidents where a Youth Justice worker received immediatetreatment as an in-patient in a hospital following an assault.

While there were four incidents where workers were treated in hospital, this data was not reported to thefederal government as “serious assaults”.

Instead, Territory Families recorded four assault incidents where workers required just medical treatment or follow-up.

Territory Families has not reported a single “serious assault” of a staff member or a child in detention in five years.

The Productivity Commission said there were 52 assaults of children — an average of one a week.

But Territory Families did not clarify if their assault recording method was used for children.

A mother told this publication in January that when she picked up her son outside the gates of Don Dale he was “dishevelled, covered in nits and his arm was mysteriously broken”.

The NT News understands another allegation that a guard stood by and watched a 14-year-old’s arm being broken by another inmate in July 2022 is under review.

A spokesman for Territory Families said the department was investing in a new case management system to improve the quality of data from youth detention centres.

“The department is required to prepare a range of reportsfor national and local publication on Youth Justice,” he said.

“It also provides information to organisations such as NT Worksafe for their own reporting purposes.

“The department undertakes to provide the best available data when requested.

A spokesman said Territory Families was investing in a new case management system to improve the quality of data from youth detention centres. Picture: (A)manda Parkinson

“If an error is identified retrospectively in relation to data provided for the Report on Government Services, corrections can be made in the following year’s report.”

NT WorkSafe said in 2021-22 a total of 14 claims were made by Youth Justice workers for injuries resulting from an assault, with two of these claims were for psychological injuries.