Minister for Education, Children and Youth Roger Jaensch has again let children and young people down with his failure to follow through on the commitment made in 2021 by that Ashley Youth Detention Centre would close in 2024.
It is completely unacceptable for Minister Jaensch to have sat on his hands for the past two years and now try and excuse that behaviour by stating he was waiting for the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry.
The Commission was clear at its very beginning that the Government should not wait to take action to keep children and young people safe.
It is even more shameless to try and claim that the Commission of Inquiry endorses the delay of the closure of AYDC until 2026, as the Minister has for the past two days.
The Commission of Inquiry was explicit that Ashley “is not fit for purpose as a youth detention facility and should be shut down as soon as possible”.
The Commission’s report also said: “While we acknowledge the Government’s restated commitment to closing Ashley Youth Detention Centre, we are gravely concerned by any suggestion of further delay.”
And even more clearly: “We were disappointed that there are some indications the Tasmanian Government is reconsidering its previous announcement to close the Centre by 2024.”
Minister Jaensch must immediately stop misrepresenting the Commission to justify his inaction.
Instead, the Minister must outline immediately what action the Government will take to protect youth and to support AYDC staff in the interim and a timeline for the closure of Ashley and its move towards more therapeutic models of rehabilitation.
Sarah Lovell MLC
Shadow Minister for Children and Youth
