Woman alleges sexual harassment and serious bullying while working at Ashley Youth Detention Centre

An Ashley Youth Detention Centre employee has described her “humiliating” sexual harassment and bullying experiences while working at the facility. HEAR HER STORY >>

• Claims in parliament complaints had been received about Ashley worker
• Alleged escape from Ashley Youth Detention Centre prompts calls to close the facility down

AN ASHLEY Youth Detention Centre employee has come forward with explosive claims – alleging other staff subjected her to degrading sexual harassment and bullying that turned physical.

The woman, who asked to only be identified as Alysha, said a photo of her was distributed among staff, describing her as looking like a “Japanese f … doll”.

She also said on one occasion, she was slammed against a wall by an operational coordinator after she’d questioned her management of one of the detainees.

Alysha said she was continually sexually harassed since taking on a consultancy role in 2019 – ironically to help transform the facility into a therapeutic environment.

She’s now on extended leave and still awaiting the outcome of three complaints she lodged some 18 months ago.

Alysha has come forward with explosive claims about her time at Ashley Youth Detention Centre.

She said a number of her colleagues made her job untenable, tormenting her to the point she’d vomit on her way to work every day, with the sex doll comment considered “really, really hilarious” among some of her male co-workers.

“That was the most humiliating thing I’ve ever experienced in my professional life,” she said.

“To be objectified in this way floored me.

“I felt like how can I do my role effectively if that’s the level of respect and courtesy afforded to me by senior staff?”

Alysha said colleagues frequently took action to show her they had zero respect for her and her role.

“I’d written up a care plan for a child … I had it scrunched up in a ball and thrown in a bin in front of me. That was literally one of hundreds of ways the staff demonstrated to me that they would make the duties of my role impossible,” she said.

“I walked into this bizarre world where recording requirements didn’t exist and people can treat women and staff in general with a complete lack of respect and get away with it.”

Alysha said “HR doesn’t exist” at Ashley.

“I felt really helpless and disempowered and scared for my safety … let alone the safety of the children.”

A Communities Tasmania spokesperson said safety of staff and clients was its “number one priority”.

“Matters raised by employees are taken seriously, investigated and the department always seeks to maintain the confidentiality of all parties,” they said.

Labor leader Rebecca White said she was “very worried” to hear of the woman’s allegations.

“This is why we’ve called for the review into the parliamentary culture to expand into the public sector,” she said.

Ashley Youth Detention Centre. PICTURE CHRIS KIDD

“We cannot tolerate this type of harassment or bullying or intimidation.

“It leaves people in a terrible situation and also sees us lose the best and brightest from the public sector, who are exactly the type of people we need to keep.”

Greens leader Cassy O’Connor said Ashley “is a sick place”.

“It is failing young people, and its culture is clearly irreperable,’’ she said.

“Ashley must be closed. When you have a highly qualified professional who is trying to help the young people in detention and is subjected to this sort of behaviour, it’s obvious how broken it is.”

The claims are the latest in a series of disturbing complaints arising against the facility, including a number of allegations of child sexual abuse.

Last month, parliament was told a worker accused of raping a child was not stood down until 10 months after the allegation was made.

Alysha’s story was first exposed on Thursday’s episode of The Nurse podcast

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