[Greens-Media] Weak response to Quamby cage

[Manderson, Roland]

ACT GREENS MLA DEB FOSKEY MEDIA RELEASE



Wed 3 Aug 2005


Weak response to Quamby cage 

ACT Greens MLA Deb Foskey has commended the Government on its brave decision to conduct a Human Rights Audit into the Quamby Youth Detention Centre. However Dr Foskey said she was disappointed to see such a weak response from the Government to the Audit's recommendations. 

"The Government has only agreed to 25 of the recommendations, leaving 27 recommendations to be talked about later, this is not good enough and the Government can do better" Dr Foskey said today.

One such example is the Human Rights Commissioner's recommendation to remove "the Cage", a small-enclosed concrete space used for 'recreation' by young offenders on their first night in Quamby, or detainees placed in seclusion. The Government has only agreed in principle to replace the Cage with a private courtyard, leaving it up to discussions, but the ACT Greens believe it should be removed as soon as possible. 
> 
> Minister for Youth, Ms Katie Gallagher, also remarked during her media conference that the ACT Government could not assure us that the implementation of 25 recommendations would allow Quamby to meet Human Rights requirements, as the small number of young people held there made it difficult to segregate them appropriately along the lines of detainees, remandees, age and gender.  
> 
>  "I encourage the Government to look regionally when developing the new youth detention centre. By creating a centre that services the region and not just the ACT, the Government would be much better placed to meet Human Rights requirements and provide for the different groups held in such a centre" Dr Foskey added.  
> 
> "It seems ridiculous that young detainees from Queanbeyan are being sent to Wollongong when they could be placed in ACT facilities and be closer to their families. We have to look beyond the ACT border and start working with NSW on our regional problems" Dr Foskey said.
> 
> 
> ================================
> Roland Manderson   Media Advisor
> ACT   Greens    MLA  Deb  Foskey  
> Legislative Assembly for the ACT 
> ph(02)62050551      m 0412241379
> ==== www.act.greens.org.au =====
> 
> 
  
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