Youth Justice

After the completion of public consultation in 2023 and feasibility studies in 2024, a site at 466 Brighton Road, Pontville (located in southern Tasmania near Brighton), has been chosen as the site for the new Tasmanian Youth Justice Facility.

A detailed overview of the public consultation can be found in the Community Engagement Outcomes Report.

In September 2023, the Tasmanian Government announced 466 Brighton Road, Pontville as the preferred site of the new youth justice facility, subject to more detailed site assessments.

Detailed site investigations were undertaken, including:

• Planning analysis
• Aboriginal heritage assessment and sub-surface investigations
• Natural values assessment
• Infrastructure feasibility study
• Geotechnical assessments

The Tasmanian Government can now confirm that relevant assessments at the site at 466 Brighton Road have now been completed and Pontville will host the new facility.

The decision was made based on the outcomes of the feasibility assessments conducted between 2023 and 2024 and following the extensive community engagement process.

An early works package has been agreed and design commenced. This includes landscape design, site access and enabling services.

The facility design process has commenced.

The Tasmanian Youth Justice Facility is a holding name only. Consultation on the name of the facility will be undertaken during this phase of the project.

The Government wants to improve community safety and the lives of children and young people.

The youth justice reforms focus on moving to a therapeutic model that focuses on early intervention, prevention and rehabilitation, with detention as a last resort.

Closing the Ashley Youth Detention Centre is part of these reforms and aligns with recommendations for improving the youth justice system. The new facility will be part of a broader network of services. These services will support young people with complex needs, reduce offending and prevent re-offending through intensive therapeutic interventions.

A priority for these reforms is to significantly reduce the number of young people held in detention before they have been sentenced, which accounts for the majority of young people currently held in the Ashley Youth Detention Centre. By developing more options for young people to be safely bailed prior to sentencing, the number of young people in detention can be reduced and the new detention facility can be smaller and more focussed on rehabilitation of young people who have been sentenced.

The reform will build a system of therapeutic, community-based services that help prevent young people from reoffending and keep them out of detention where possible. This includes working with various service providers to offer early intervention, support for bail and rehabilitation services.

The new facility will play a role in this system but will focus on providing care for the small number of young people who need secure accommodation. The reform’s main focus is on diversion and early intervention, with detention always being a last resort.

This project is part of a broader youth justice reform program that includes creating community-based supports and assisted bail services. The Youth Justice Reform Taskforce is working with community service providers to increase their capacity to support more young people to meet their bail conditions in the community, rather than in detention. This will ensure a consistent therapeutic and rehabilitative approach is used across the system.

The new Tasmanian Youth Justice Facility is a core element of the government’s broader reform efforts. It will provide a therapeutic, trauma-informed and culturally safe environment for a smaller number of young people sentenced to detention and a smaller number of young people on remand. While the facility will provide secure accommodation for those who need it, its purpose is rehabilitative – focussing on intensive interventions that support the safety and wellbeing of young people.

The temporary name for the new facility is the Tasmanian Youth Justice Facility. The dedicated name of the new facility is still to be confirmed. The dedicated name will be selected in consultation with key stakeholders and will be confirmed before the new facility is complete.

The Tasmanian Government has allocated $50 million for its development. The final cost of the facility will be confirmed during the planning and design phases of the project.

The Department of Premier and Cabinet will scope and plan the new facility. Specialist consultants and contractors will make sure the facility meets the highest standards of therapeutic and secure care and minimises disruption to neighbouring residents and land users. The Department of State Growth will deliver the project once the design is complete.

Reference design work is underway, and we can expect final designs to be ready to submit with a development application to council by mid-2025.

Nearby landowners and stakeholders will be informed about the construction progress. Work will be done to minimise the impact of construction. Regular updates will be provided to make sure the process is transparent.

The facility will be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The new facility will not contribute to any significant increase in noise levels in the area. The development will operate within planning regulations, which set out acceptable noise levels.

The edge of the facility will need lighting at times for security and safety purposes. Through the design of the new facility, options will be explored to reduce any visual impacts from lighting, such as screening from surrounding properties and baffling of lighting where appropriate.

The new facility will be smaller than the Ashley Youth Detention Centre. The large size of the site (20.48 ha) will make sure there is a good buffer between the facility and nearby properties. This will minimise potential impacts.

Several key feasibility investigations were completed to help determine the site’s suitability for the new facility. Those investigations included:

• Aboriginal cultural heritage assessments
• natural values assessments
• noise monitoring
• geotechnical assessments, and
• infrastructure feasibility assessments.

The assessments took 12 months to complete. This time includes:

• on site investigations
• research
• report writing, and
• consideration of the final recommendations by the Tasmanian Government.

The project team will work with nearby businesses and the design team to manage external influences such as noise and odour that may impact the site.

During the assessment phase, an Aboriginal heritage assessment and sub-surface investigation was completed. The results of these assessments will be used to guide the design of the new facility to ensure any Aboriginal heritage is managed appropriately.

The Government recognises the over-representation of Aboriginal children and young people in the youth justice system. The Government has established an Aboriginal Reference Group and will work closely with Aboriginal youth justice community organisations, across the range of Commission of Inquiry reforms, including specific aspects of the design and use of the new facility.

The size of the site gives the opportunity to create a large buffer between the facility and surrounding properties, including use of vegetation to provide visual screening.

There will be works at the entrance of the site to allow access, which may impact the nearby roads or footpaths. Any works that impact access to nearby streets, roads or footpaths will be managed in a way required by the relevant authority (Council or State Roads).

The new facility is not expected to significantly increase traffic in the local area based on figures from the Ashley Youth Detention Centre.

Part of the consultation process will include working with relevant stakeholders on how to improve public transport to and from the area to provide greater access to the new facility for workers and visitors. This would also provide a benefit for the local community.

Research conducted by Queensland Corrective Services (QCS) on Correctional Centres in Queensland, NSW and the ACT found that the increase in investment and infrastructure associated with custodial institutions results in more investor confidence and increasing property values as staff move into the area looking for housing.

No studies of property values have been undertaken in Tasmania. Past experience from other jurisdictions, such as New South Wales, has shown concerns on the impacts to property prices were not realised.

The Tasmanian Government will seek feedback from the general public, local community and nearby landowners and other key stakeholders throughout the design process.

The Government will work with Aboriginal organisations and people throughout this process.

There will be opportunities to provide feedback on the design of the new facility. Go to the Youth Justice | Keeping Children Safe to learn more.