Corrections Minister Gerard Maley says ‘safety’ behind blocking United Nations from NT prisons

The NT Government has claimed allowing United Nations experts into the prisons would jeopardise staff safety, but opponents say this is a blatant excuse to shield human rights violations from public scrutiny.

Human rights advocates have accused the NT government of using ‘staff safety’ to shield the overcrowded prison system from public scrutiny by United Nations experts.

The NT has been condemned for its decision to bar the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention from accessing all government operated facilities during their four-day visit this week.

The two-person UN delegation is currently in the Territory, speaking with independent agencies and stakeholders about the justice and mental health systems to investigate potential inhumane, unjust or inadequate conditions.

However on Monday the NT News revealed the CLP government had denied access to all detention centres and gagged departments from meeting with the human rights observers.

An NT Ombudsman report has exposed the shocking conditions for prisoners in police watch houses. Photograph of cell 4 in the Alice Springs Watch House. Corrections assess this cell to be capable of holding a maximum of 15 occupants. This photograph was taken in October 2025 but is representative of the conditions during the review period.

Corrections Minister Gerard Maley only allowed one question about the blockage of UN inspectors to the prisons before leaving a Beetaloo Energy press conference on Tuesday.

In his 32 second response, Mr Maley blamed operational capacity, safety and workforce issues, and the previous government for failing to invest in prison infrastructure.

“We’ve come into office about 18 months ago and we worked hard, and we’ve got the prison up to a capacity now where we think it’s operational,” he said

“There’s already a number of oversight and independent bodies who inspect the prison and where prisoners can make complaints.

“This is about keeping the staff safe.”

Deputy Chief Minister Gerard Maley. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Mr Maley did not answer any questions about why the Department of Chief Minister and Cabinet reportedly rejected the Corrections department’s recommendation to allow the UN visit.

In the latest annual report the NT Ombudsman warned prisoners were facing “barriers to accessing” the watchdog agency, due to overcrowding, lockdowns, watch house conditions, and limited phone access.

The barring of the expert group comes the same week Corrections is hosting a visit from the United Arab Emirates, which human rights bodies have flagged for abuse, torture and arbitrary detention of prisoners.

Corrections confirmed the UAE delegation visited the Holtze Youth Detention Centre and Darwin Correctional Centre — both facilities the UN was denied access to.

The government’s decision has been condemned by NT Labor and crossbench members, Greens Kat McNamara and independents Justine Davis and Yingiya Guyula, as well as justice reform groups including Justice Not Jails, Change the Record and the National Network of Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls.

The National Network, which rejects all forms of punishment and exile, specifically prisons and policing, formally wrote to the UN Working Group in late 2024 to urgently request a visit, with founder Debbie Kilroy saying the move was sparked by “grave and escalating violations” inside detention centres, citing severe overcrowding, inhumane conditions and the denial of due process due to chronic court delays.

Human rights activist and prison reformer Debbie Kilroy. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

She said conditions for adults and children had “deteriorated even further” since the National Network raised the alarm, with around 400 more people locked up on Tuesday compared to late-2024.

The Territory has experienced an unprecedented spike in prisoner numbers in the past 12 months.

Corrections data from Tuesday reported 41 per cent of adults behind bars were still waiting for their day in court, while the latest NT Court data found Territorians on local court charges spent an average of 108 days on remand.

Ms Kilroy condemned the NT government for hiding behind claims of “operational capacity” and “resourcing”, calling the decision a “shameful act of evasion and impunity”.

“It is systemic cruelty, in direct violation of international law,” Ms Kilroy said.

“It confirms the very concerns we raised: that people in the NT are being hidden from view precisely because the government knows the treatment inside these facilities will not withstand scrutiny.”

Yolngu man and Independent for Mulka Yingiya Guyula. Picture: Zizi Averill

In January Independent representative for Mulka, Yingiya Guyula called for the UN Special Rapporteur to visit the Territory’s prisons following his visit to the watch house.

“When visiting the watch house my heart cried for the people,” Mr Guyula said.

“They called out to me to help them. They had not been convicted, they were just waiting endlessly in hopeless conditions and their spirits were being broken by a system that didn’t care.”

Change the Record, which works with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to invest in holistic early intervention, prevention and diversion strategies, has called on the Federal Government to step in urgently to establish national standards for detention, with tied funding conditions and real reforms to protect children.

Originally published as Corrections Minister Gerard Maley says ‘safety’ behind blocking United Nations from NT prisons