Face of Nation : Two months ago, the ABC’s Four Corners program revealed children as young as 10 were being routinely held in watch house facilities — some for weeks on end.
Serious cases of child harm were also exposed by the ABC, including a girl who was placed in a cell with two alleged male sex offenders, and another girl whose finger was severed in a watch house door.
The story prompted national condemnation, with human rights groups calling for the State Government to immediately remove the children from the facilities.
Youth Justice Minister Di Farmer said all children on remand had been removed from the Brisbane watch house — although one child was still being held in Mount Isa in the state’s north-west.
“We are by no means out of the woods, but this is a very encouraging achievement today that we are seeing zero people on remand in the Brisbane watch house,” she said.
The Four Corners program prompted an extraordinary overhaul of youth justice, forcing the State Government to set up a standalone new department.
Youth Justice Department director-general Bob Gee said security works at Queensland’s two youth detention centres had been fast-tracked to make more beds available.
“The Government over the last two years has been working on security upgrades at the youth detention centres — that has come forward in terms of scheduling,” he said. “Those new beds are back … that’s well and truly helped.
“That capacity over the last week has meant we’ve been able to move young people out of watch houses and into detention centres, where they should be.”
Earlier this year, 75 children were recorded as being held in police watch houses, because there was not enough room in the youth detention centres.
