Cassy O'Connor MP | Greens Leader
On behalf of the Greens and the children of lutruwita/Tasmania, I thank Peter Gutwein for making the long-needed decision to close Ashley Youth Detention Centre.
Children have been abused and brutalised at Ashley for too long.
The closure of AYDC and construction of two therapeutic centres is a much needed reform that has been Greens’ policy since 2015.
AYDC has long been a one-way ticket to Risdon Prison. It has been brutalising children and young people for generations. This is coming to an end.
The young people who find themselves at Ashley deserve a better future than they are currently face when they leave. We’re so glad and relieved that the Premier understands this.
We’ve been advocating for the closure of Ashley for more than five years, ahead of the independent Noetic report, recommending the closure and the construction of two new therapeutic facilities. We’ve heard shocking stories of abuse, brutalisation, harassment and an overarching toxic culture.
The closure of Ashley will mark the end of a tragic and terrible chapter in Tasmania’s history. The harm this facility has been causing to young people is well documented. The decision to close the centre is long overdue.
It has been clear to the Greens that AYDC needed closing for some time. It has taken some time, but we’re glad the Gutwein Government got there in the end.