Youth Justice Services

The Hon. J.S. LEE (Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:30): My questions are directed to the Attorney-General about youth justice. Can the Attorney-General confirm whether the Adelaide Youth Court is fit for purpose, and does it currently meet the specific needs of youth and the jurisdiction?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (14:30): I thank the honourable member for her question. I have had the benefit in the last few months of spending time meeting the staff and the judges at the Youth Court and having a tour of the Youth Court facilities. It has been somewhere around I think 20 years, maybe more, since I have been to the Youth Court, so it was a good opportunity to have a meeting with the people who work there and to see the facilities.

Certainly the facilities have been around for some time, as is the case in the vast majority of our court system. I know that there were some changes in the way the Youth Court—as I think with all the justice system—operated during COVID, but the Youth Court is back to operating as it has for many years, and the facilities within the courts allow the court to carry on the functions that they have over a number of years, and will continue to.