$100 MILLION FOR 12 CELLS

Cash-strapped NT Government lobbies Feds to co-fund new centre amid Royal Commission’s damning findings

A NEW 12-cell juvenile detention centre is estimated to cost taxpayers about $100 million in infrastructure alone.

Plans for the centre will begin immediately, with a works program to be delivered by mid-February.

Following the release of the Royal Commission into juvenile detention on Friday, the NT Government has announced that it will spend $50 million to build a new facility, and wants the Federal Government to match it.

This spend will be for infrastructure costs only, and will not include staffing or operational, and ongoing costs.

While the taxpayer would front the bill, the build would also likely act as a much-needed stimulus to local contractors brought in to build the centre.

Territory Families Minister Dale Wakefield called on the Federal Government to commit an additional $50 million to the project.

“We went halves in the Royal Commission with the Federal Government, we’re hoping they’ll go halves in the solution,” Ms Wakefield said.

However, federal senator Nigel Scullion yesterday would not make a commitment of additional funding to the new facility, stating it was pre-emptive to start suggesting specific projects until the report had been “carefully and methodically” considered.

Ms Wakefield said the new centre would be focused around an educational model.

“It’s not just to do with the building, it’s the way people are working with the young people in the facility,” she said.

“At the moment the kids are in a demountable classroom. “We want the centre of this facility to be about education, and around that to be the secure accommodation.

“We want to find a model that really enhances kids’ opportunities for access to training, to get into employment, to get more skills and to get back to school.”

It’s not yet definite how many rooms the new centre will have, however, Ms Wakefield said the Royal Commission findings recommended it should not have more than 12.

She said in order for the number of rooms to be determined, historical modelling on juveniles who had been sentenced had to be done, and other early intervention policies needed to be put in place.

The new facilities are not likely to retain the name Don Dale.