Call to close Ashley now

THE staffer who blew the whistle on the cover-up of abuse at Ashley Youth Detention Centre has called for it to be closed immediately.

Clinical practice consultant Alysha appeared on 60 Minutes on Sunday detailing the difficulty she experienced in getting authorities to act seriously on allegations of horrific abuse at the centre over many years.

In September last year, then premier Peter Gutwein said the centre would close within three years and would be replaced by two new centres, in the state’s north and south.

Alysha said with all that was now known, it was time to close Ashley immediately.

“There are children currently there who have been abused that I know and have advocated for onsite,” she said.

“There are staff there who I wrote risk reports about who have now been promoted.

“There has not been a psychologist onsite since 2020. It is not safe.”

Alysha will give evidence to a Commission of Inquiry next month. She has had to leave the state temporarily out of concern for her safety and is seeking to hold the government to its promises of support for those who testify at the Commission, to help with her recovery from the trauma she suffered while working at Ashley.

Victim survivor and advocate Tiffany Skeggs also appeared on Sunday’s program, detailing her experience of sexual abuse at the hands of Launceston nurse James Griffin and her difficulty in obtaining justice.

She said she was grateful to hear from Premier Jeremy Rockliff after the program went to air.

“I appreciate the approach Mr Rockliff is taking, however, there appears to be a large incongruence between his words and the actions of his government,’’ she said.

“If I could have one wish for my child self, it would be to have someone like Alysha fighting this hard for me. Her commitment to the children has never wavered.

“In return, she has merely requested to be treated fairly and with respect. The government owe her this at the very least.’”

Labor justice spokeswoman Ella Haddad said the government needed to act sooner.

“Three years is a long time, we might need to ask ourselves, is three years too long in light of the recent allegations?

“The stories that have come to light through the 60 Minutes broadcast over the weekend are really serious and are bringing to light allegations that the government needs to act on.”

Mr Rockliff said he had watched the 60 Minutes program and said the government was listening to victim-survivors — and paid tribute to their bravery.

“These matters are extremely confronting and disturbing and it is a reminder that we must do all we can to ensure that abuses that have occurred in the past cannot happen again,” he told parliament.