The Tasmanian Government has announced another delay in closing the troubled Ashley Youth Detention Centre, with its replacement facility now not expected to be finished until the end of 2027.
Children and Youth Minister Roger Jaensch confirmed the revised timeline on Monday, nearly four years after the government committed to shutting Ashley down in 2021.
Jaensch also unveiled a master plan for a new $150 million youth justice facility to be built on Brighton Road in Pontville.
The centre will be based on a “therapeutic model of care” and house 16 detainees, along with extra beds for new arrivals and those with medical needs.
“Very clearly, we don’t intend to close the Ashley Youth Detention Centre and replace it with something which looks and works the same as Ashley,” he said.
“We need to leave behind us the history associated with that site but also that model of care for young people which hasn’t produced good outcomes for them and it hasn’t ultimately significantly reduced re-offending.”
“We have young people circulating through our youth justice system and back into the community and making our community at times feel unsafe, as we’ve seen over recent weeks.”
The government has faced ongoing criticism over its management of Ashley, which was the subject of damning findings by the Commission of Inquiry into child sexual abuse.
The inquiry found that abuse remained a ‘live issue and risk’ at the facility.
Asked about safety concerns while Ashley remains open, Jaensch said conditions have improved.
“Ashley is a safer place for young people than it ever has been before,” he said.
“There’s more scrutiny and oversight, there’s body-worn cameras, there are body scanners … there are more eyes on and opportunities for concerns to be raised by residents there than there have been before.”
Despite the delays, Jaensch insisted the government is still committed to closing Ashley.
“We want to do that as soon as we can. We cannot do it before we have a new functional detention facility,” he said.
“We believe and with the support of the parliament, with the bill that we’re tabling tomorrow, that we can see the new facility built before the end of 2027 and the closure of Ashley shortly thereafter.”
The future of the current Ashley site remains undecided, with several options being considered once the centre is shut down.
