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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-09-21 Daily Xml
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Kurlana Tapa Youth Training Centre

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (14:30): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Human Services regarding youth justice.

Leave granted.

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: A concerned stakeholder has contacted the opposition with allegations that dozens of workers attached to the Adelaide Youth Training Centre are off work due to assaults, bullying and stress, some of which is allegedly caused by management. It has been alleged the centre is only managing by getting the small number of remaining staff to work significant overtime. It has been further alleged that the lack of staff is resulting in young people being confined to their rooms for extended periods and not being able to attend education. My questions to the minister are:

1. What assurances can the minister provide that there are sufficient staff to run the training centre safely for both staff and young people?

2. Can the minister assure the council that all young people are receiving the education and training that they are supposed to be receiving?

3. How many staff attached to the youth training centre are currently on leave or receiving workers compensation?

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (Minister for Human Services) (14:32): I thank the honourable member for her question. As honourable members would appreciate, the Kurlana Tapa training centre is a very dynamic environment, and we are very grateful to all of the people who work in that environment, one which we have been making improvements to. I am very pleased that the benevolent Treasurer of blessed living memory—although I might not be able to say that until he is retired—has provided us with capital funding to improve that site and consolidate Goldsborough Road to ensure that it is an even more therapeutic environment than it has been in the past and that it comes more into line with contemporary practices.

The advice that I have from my agency is that at Kurlana Tapa the staffing ratio is one staff member to four residents, which is one of the best ratios in Australia for youth custodial facilities. The Department of Human Services has been working collaboratively with the Public Service Association and has a positive working relationship with them. They have a continuous recruitment process and are currently finalising two recruitment processes for youth workers.

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