Free Ashley Youth Detention kids for Christmas, say Greens

The children held inside the state’s notorious youth detention centre should be freed for Christmas, the Greens say. HAVE YOUR SAY IN OUR POLL

Ashley Youth Detention Centre. Picture: Alex Treacy

THE children in Ashley Youth Detention Centre should be allowed out for Christmas, the Greens say.

State Greens leader Cassy O’Connor and Greens federal justice spokesman David Shoebridge also called for the repeal of state gag laws which stop adult survivors from telling their stories.

Ms O’Connor said children imprisoned at Ashley Youth Detention Centre should be allowed wherever possible to spend Christmas at home with their families, including immediately reviewing children on remand.

Greens leader Cassy O'Connor says children at Ashley Youth Detention Centre should be allowed out for Christmas.

“In recent months, children imprisoned at Ashley Youth Detention Centre have been confined to their rooms for up to 23 hours a day due to chronic understaffing,” she said.

“With this in mind, Christmas and the holiday period looks extremely grim for those kids.

“The horror stories of Ashley were laid bare through the Commission of Inquiry.

“Every compassionate Tasmanian would want to be reassured those children won’t be confined to their cells over Christmas and New Year.

“The Rockliff Government must take steps to identify every young person who would be appropriate to release early, as well as opportunities to allow other out on day release for the holidays.

Senator Shoebridge said no child should be in detention at Christmas time.

“These children should be home with their families for Christmas, some haven’t even been before a court, yet they’re locked up in the Ashley house of horrors because the Tasmanian Liberals have failed to shut this abusive prison,” he said.

Senator David Shoebridge said no child should be in detention at Christmas time. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

“The Albanese Labor government can’t just turn away while the States and Territories lock up children and abuse them – these child prisons are breaching Australia’s international obligations to respect children’s rights and protect them from harm.

“The longstanding abuse in Ashley was enabled by gag laws that prevent even adult survivors of the institution from speaking out.

“Adult survivors of Ashley have a right to tell their stories and today we are calling on the Tasmanian Attorney-General to urgently repeal these archaic laws. We need to listen to the stories of survivors and say never, ever again.”

Arrangements at Ashley have been described as a breach of Australia’s international human rights obligations, but the government says they are due to shortstaffing and can’t be fixed in the short term.

A spokesperson for the Department for Education, Children and Young People said the young people at Ashley Youth Detention Centre are detained in the interest of community safety.

“Over the holiday period, a range of additional activities are planned for young people, including Christmas celebrations and time spent in the pool,” a spokesperson said.

They also said contact with family will be supported for young people detained.

Minister for Sport and Recreation Nic Street said there were plans were being made to close Ashley — but not to release those held inside.

My belief is that Ashley will be closed as soon as possible but it won’t be closed until we’ve got the appropriate facilities across the state to deal with the offenders that would normally end up in Ashley Detention Centre.

‘My understanding is that no, we won’t, there won’t be a wholesale release of people prior to Christmas.”

Gov admits to locking Ashley detainees with predators

THE state government admits it has locked child detainees in the same units as “predators” at the scandal-ridden Ashley Youth Detention Centre, ahead of Tasmania’s first-ever class action to be tried in court next year.

In its defence now lodged in the Supreme Court of Tasmania, the Tasmanian government sets out its denials to a long list of explosive allegations of mistreatment from 105 former Ashley detainees.

The government notably states in its defence that the highly-controversial use of isolation and physical force by Ashley staff, are sometimes necessary to maintain the “security, good order and safe custody” of detainees.

Among its list of denials, the government refutes claims that Ashley employees were authorised to conduct strip searches in which detainees were fully naked and subjected to brutal, “humiliating, distressing, traumatising” cavity searches.

The state has admitted detainees were given a scabies cream or wash upon their admission to Ashley between 1997 and 2007, but denies this was done without authority and that it caused burning, rashes, extreme itchiness or scarring to their skin.

Regarding the supervision and segregation of detainees, the government “admits that from time-to-time … it placed detainees in the same accommodation units as predators”.

However, the government says it could not have practically – or lawfully – detained the predators in separate units, isolated from all other detainees.

Regarding the highly-controversial use of “isolation”, which was slammed as a “form of torture” and in breach of the United Nations’ torture convention during this year’s child sexual abuse commission of inquiry, the government says the practice “was only used as a last resort”, and that detainees were “appropriately monitored and supervised”.

“Isolation was not used as a punishment,” the government says in its defence, while admitting some of its records “may have been lost” over the years.

“Isolation and the use of physical force by Ashley Youth Detention Centre staff, from time-to-time, are necessary components of a system for the security, good order and safety custody of detainees.”

The government also says the “mere fact of an allegation” did not mean an employee was unsuited to retain their jobs at Ashley or have disciplinary action taken against them, and was not necessarily sufficient grounds for criminal prosecution.

Angela Sdrinis Legal, which is running the class action on behalf of the former detainees, said while the government hadn’t admitted liability per se, its defence was “helpful” and will help narrow down the issues ahead of next year’s trial.

Both sides are expected to appear again in court on February 24 for a pre-trial administrative hearing.

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