Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a)

notes that:

(i)

the young people detained in the Magill Youth Training Centre in South Australia are being held in degrading conditions, and

(ii)

in the assessment of the 2009 Australian Youth Representative to the United Nations (UN), Mr Chris Varney, this represents a breach of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child;

(b)

recognises that:

(i)

in 2006, the South Australian Labor Government acknowledged that the centre was in need of replacement, as it breached modern building codes and occupational health and safety requirements, and

(ii)

the South Australian Government is yet to keep its election promise to build a new facility; and

(c)

calls on the Federal Minister for Early Childhood Education, Childcare and Youth (Ms Ellis) to intervene in this urgent matter and ensure that a new centre is built, as promised by the South Australian Government.

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—The government understands that there is community concern around the Magill Youth Training Centre in South Australia. There is little doubt that the building and its facilities are in definite need of an overhaul. As a community, we have a responsibility to these young people to ensure that they are rehabilitated in an appropriate environment. I understand that the South Australian government had committed to building a new centre as part of their most recent budget. However, due to financial constraints caused by the current economic climate, they were unable to fulfil this commitment. Building a new facility to replace the Magill Youth Training Centre should be a priority. I understand that the South Australian government shares this view. Ultimately, this is not a federal matter but a matter for the South Australian government. The Commonwealth Attorney-General is seeking further information about the concerns of the UN youth representative that the conditions in the Magill Training Centre are in breach of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Kerry O'Brien (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—The government recognises that the numbers lie in favour of this motion. Given that the coalition and the Greens will vote together on this occasion, the government will not call for a division.

Question agreed to.