Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre
Matthew BACH (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (12:12): (267) My question today is for the Minister for Youth Justice. Minister, isn’t it a fact that a young person at Malmsbury has refused to move, and instead of using a forced response there are now staff required to remain at his unit in Malmsbury, reducing the safety for other staff in the facility, due to chronic shortages?
Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice, Minister for Victim Support) (12:12): I thank Dr Bach for his question and his interest in my youth justice portfolio. Dr Bach would be well aware that I will not get into operational matters of that detail. I will leave it to the professionals who handle these matters. In terms of placement of young people in our facilities, that is a matter for the experts in the field, and I trust the commissioner and the general managers in our youth justice facilities to do that work.
Matthew BACH (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (12:12): I ask this supplementary with little hope of a fulsome response, but I am going to ask it anyway. Minister, will you direct your department to move this young person so the staff allocated to babysit one person can be put back to regular duties, thereby improving safety for all staff and other detainees?
Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice, Minister for Victim Support) (12:13): I thank Dr Bach for his question. I think Dr Bach is clearly showing a bit of naivety about how government operates. The department does not operate that way, where I direct them in relation to operational matters of that detail. I trust the experts in the field to do their job appropriately with the guidelines in place, and I support our staff that are doing amazing work, regardless of the complexities they deal with. I want to give a shout-out to all our staff in youth justice facilities, particularly the frontline staff. They are dedicated, passionate and about giving these young people the best chance to turn their lives around.