Page 4553 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 18 October 2011
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
track, to be available for use in January 2012. Work on the remainder of the building has also commenced, with expressions of interest for the remainder of the building being sought from community organisations. These are currently being assessed.
The community continues to be consulted, with 14 meetings being held since 2009. The most recent meetings have been held at the Flynn community centre, starting the process of returning the building to the community. There can be no doubt that the Flynn community has been fully engaged on the future use of the building. In the process of the engagement, the Flynn community has provided valuable input which is reflected in the development and the use of the site.
Bimberi Youth Justice Centre
Paper and statement by minister
MS BURCH (Brindabella—Minister for Community Services, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Women and Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs) (3.38): I present the following paper:
Bimberi Youth Justice Centre—The ACT Youth Justice System 2011—A report to the ACT Legislative Assembly by the ACT Human Rights Commission—Government response.
I seek leave to make a statement in relation to the paper.
Leave granted.
MS BURCH: I am pleased today to be tabling the ACT government’s response to The ACT youth justice system 2011: a report to the ACT Legislative Assembly by the ACT Human Rights Commission. As the Assembly is aware, the ACT Human Rights Commission received direction from the Attorney-General in January this year to conduct an inquiry into the ACT youth justice system and a human rights audit of the Bimberi Youth Justice Centre.
The government provided extensive support to the commission throughout the review process. The commission’s report was provided on 29 July 2011 and tabled in this place on 16 August. As previously stated, the ACT government welcomes the Human Rights Commission’s report and its examination of the ACT youth justice system.
Overall, the commission acknowledges that there have been substantial improvements in the ACT youth justice system over the last three years. In particular, the commission highlights that we have a sound legislative framework set out by the Children and Young People Act 2008, and a number of areas of promising and positive practice across the youth justice system were mentioned.
These include a focus on diverting young people through the use of restorative justice and community-based services and programs that support vulnerable young people and their families. Significantly, the commission identified that Bimberi Youth Justice Centre is a major improvement on the previous Quamby Youth Detention Centre, and
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video