The proposed Pontville Youth Justice Facility is the wrong model in the wrong place and will not make Tasmania’s children or communities safer.
A joint statement released today and backed by 15 community organisations, groups, legal, Aboriginal, allied health, consultancy and domestic, family, and sexual violence services and peak bodies calls on Tasmania’s government to revise their approach to its new youth justice facility, stating the level of harm posed to our children by the current proposal is unacceptable.
“The test for our state at every single step of implementing the Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional settings recommendations must be “Will our children be safer if we do this?” said Kathryn Fordyce, CEO of Laurel House, one of the joint statement’s signatories.
“The proposed facility does not make children safer, and the chosen location is deeply problematic. It will actively put Tasmania’s most vulnerable children at risk of further harm. It can’t continue in the face of overwhelming community opposition.”
Objections to the location were raised in Parliament earlier this year. One of the many issues with the approach and location includes that the proposed facility neighbours multiple rifle ranges exposing children in the care of the State Government to active gunshot sounds. Research shows this can result in anxiety, depression, hyperarousal, flashbacks, dissociation, and PTSD, especially for those with historical exposure to violence.
Another objection raised by parliamentarians and expanded on in the joint statement are the marijuana odours from the adjacent medical marijuana production facility. Evidence says such smells pose triggers which undermine recovery for young people recovering from substance use or those with lived experience of familial substance misuse and places these young people at risk of relapse, re-traumatisation, and further harm.
Ms Fordyce said: “As much as we all want the COI recommendations realised, it is essential that we don’t just ‘get them done’ by placing speed and convenience ahead of care.”
“We must work diligently to ensure each step represents progress and is based on expertise, evidence of best practice, and appropriate consultation. In our view, this has not been the case – the voices of children and young people and Tasmanian communities have been consistently ignored in the consultation process: the Government received 100 submissions against the development compared to just 10 in favour of the new facility and yet are still going ahead.
“The bottom line is that we know what best practice looks like, and this proposed facility is not it.”
This is echoed by the Child Safety Reform Implementation Monitor’s 2024–25 Annual Report – released this week – that states the cornerstone of Tasmania’s youth justice reform must be evidence-based, trauma-informed, and grounded in diversion, not detention. It calls on Government to “stay the course” with early intervention. As the Independent Monitor cautions, prolonging the life of Ashley Youth Detention Centre (AYDC) is “deeply concerning" but the statement signatories believe that choosing Pontville as the next steps risks entrenching the very system we are meant to leave behind.
Jake Smith, CEO of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Legal Service and a joint signatory on the joint statement said: “Research tells us that place-based, community-led, non-carceral alternatives to detention, especially those grounded in Aboriginal self-determination and healing, are the most effective. This proposed model is not based on the research and risks repeating the systemic failures and human rights violations of AYDC.”
The statement signatories reject the government’s repeated assertion that the closure of AYDC is dependent on the opening of this new facility. AYDC could be closed quickly if the government chose to do so and were willing to adopt evidence-based alternatives from other jurisdictions.
The joint statement calls for a review of the proposed Pontville facility and recommends a redirection of the $150 million funding allocation in the State’s most recent budget towards proven transformative alternatives.
Julie Edwards, CEO of signatory Jesuit Social Services, said: “We firmly believe that detention should only ever be used as a last resort and that, wherever possible, young people should be supported in the community to remain connected with school, community, and family.
“We share concerns around the location of the Pontville Youth Justice Facility and urge the Tasmanian Government to reconsider its approach to supporting young people in its care and, by extension, creating stronger communities for all.”
The State Government indicated that the Development Application for the Pontville Youth Justice Facility will be open for public consultation through the Southern Midlands Council in the coming weeks. Signatories of the joint statement urge Tasmanians to make their voices heard in this process.
This is Tasmania’s opportunity to create a new system that is evidence based, and which supports improved wellbeing, the community connection Tasmania is known for, and better futures for our children.
For interviews:
- Kathryn Fordyce, CEO, Laurel House, 0427 739 397
- Julie Edwards, Jesuit Social Services, CEO, 03 9421 7699
- Greg Barnes SC, Prisoners Legal Service Tasmania, 0419 691 846
Signatories to the joint statement:
- Anglicare Tasmania
- Australian Lawyers Alliance
- Engender Equality
- Grass Roots Action Network Tasmania
- Jesuit Social Services
- Jordan River Service Inc
- Knightlamp Psychology and Consulting
- Laurel House
- Tasmanian Aboriginal Legal Service
- Tasmanian Family and Sexual Violence Alliance (TFSVA)
- Tasmanian Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment Network
- Women’s Health Tasmania
- Women’s Legal Service Tasmania
- Yemaya
- Youth Network of Tasmania (YNOT)
