Question - Incidents at Ashley Youth Detention Centre

Tuesday 14 April 2026

QUESTION ON NOTICE - ANSWER

No. 24 - Incidents at Ashley Youth Detention Centre

Ms ARMITAGE question to MINISTER for CHILDREN and YOUTH, Ms PALMER

[11.21 a.m.]

With regard to Ashley Youth Detention Centre, in the period between January and December 2025, can the honourable minister advise: -

(1)          How many reported incidents have occurred requiring internal review by the Incident Review Committee?

(2)          How many instances of physical assaults on staff were reported in those incidents?

(3)          How many instances of verbal abuse, including racial abuse, toward staff occurred in those reported instances?

(4)          How many staff required medical treatment, physical and mental, arising from those incidents?

(5)          How many staff have been stood down for alleged code of conduct breaches in that time?

(6)          Of those, how many have returned to work?

(7)          Since 2021, how many staff have been stood down by the Department for alleged Code of Conduct breaches?

(8)          Since 2021, of those stood down, how many remain on stand down?

(9)          Since 2021, of those stood down, how many have returned to work?

(10)      Since 2021, how many Code of Conduct investigations have commenced, how many have been completed and how many remain outstanding?

(11)      Since 2021, how many Code of Conduct breaches have been upheld?

(12)      In the past year, how many staff have been recruited to youth worker roles and how many have separated in that time?

(13)      How are annual separations benchmarked?

ANSWER

(1)          As Minister for Children and Youth, the safety and wellbeing of everyone at Ashley Youth Detention Centre (AYDC) is my priority. The AYDC Incident Review Committee (IRC) reviews all recorded incidents involving or alleging the use of force, use of isolation, serious assault or other serious matters such as fires, escapes or harmful sexualised behaviour. Between January and December 2025, the Incident Review Committee reviewed a total of 296 incidents.

(2)          The current processes to report specific incident detail relating to physical assaults on staff and the number of incidents at AYDC reviewed by the IRC are not directly comparable. This is because the IRC case records are stored securely on a separate information system to the Department of Education, Children and Young People's Safety Reporting System (SRS). Data from the SRS indicates at the AYDC site, including the AYDC school, from January to December 2025, there were 70 reported incidents of violence towards AYDC staff under the categories of assault with an object or weapon, deliberate kicks, punches, bites, spitting, pushes, grabs and other.

(3)          The IRC records are securely stored on a separate system to the department's safety reporting system. Therefore, the current processes to report specific incident details relating to verbal abuse, including racial abuse towards staff and the number of incidents reviewed by the IRC cannot be reliably provided due to the information being recorded in different systems resulting in reporting limitations. Data from the SRS indicates that at the AYDC site, including the school, from January to December 2025, there were 5 reported incidents in the category of verbal abuse, including threats to staff, and 4 reported incidents in the category of threats with an object or weapon.

(4)          As Minister for Children and Youth, the safety and wellbeing of staff at AYDC is a matter I take very seriously. Information about staff medical treatment is recorded through distinct information reporting systems that are not directly comparable with IRC records.

Due to the system incompatibilities and associated reporting challenges, it is not possible to provide a single consolidated figure covering all incidents reviewed by IRC where staff required physical or wellbeing-related medical treatment.

The department's reported safety related data indicates that across 79 serious incidents recorded during January to December 2025, 47 incidents involved staff who required medical or wellbeing-related support.

Of the total 47 incidents, 41 of these involved staff who required first aid treatment including EpiPen or other medication, hospital emergency department care, medical treatment, by a medical professional such as a doctor or ambulance officer, mental health first aid; a counsellor or health and wellbeing officer assistance.

All reported staff injuries and wellbeing concerns are taken seriously. AYDC staff are supported through appropriate medical treatment, counselling and ongoing workplace health and safety processes, whether the staff member is in the workplace or temporarily away from it.

(5)     For the purposes of the answer, I'm using the definition of 'stood down' as a suspension with pay under employment direction 4. If I've not interpreted your sentiment in the question, I'm very happy to address that later. Applying this definition, I can advise that during the period January to December 2025, six AYDC employees were suspended with pay in relation to alleged code of conduct breaches.

(6)     No staff stood down for an alleged code of conduct under employment direction 4 have returned to the workplace. This has consistently been the case since 2021.

Where an AYDC staff member has been stood down for a code of conduct allegation, the staff member cannot return to the workplace until the formal process outcome concludes and it is appropriate and safe to do so.

(7)     For the purposes of the answer, I'm again using the definition of 'stood down' as a suspension with pay under employment direction 4 and applying this definition, I can advise that since 2021, a total of 26 AYDC employees have been suspended with pay following the commencement of investigations relating to alleged code of conduct breaches.

(8)     Of the 26 employees referred to in my previous answer to question 7, a total of 16 employees previously working at the AYDC currently remain suspended with pay.

(9)     No staff stood down since 2021 have returned to the AYDC workplace. Where an AYDC staff member has been stood down for a code of conduct allegation, the staff member cannot return to the workplace until the formal process outcome concludes and its appropriate and safe to do so.

In some instances, the staff member may be cleared of any wrongdoing but may return to a different role away from AYDC.

There are other instances where an employee may not be medically cleared to return to work as part of a claim for workers compensation.

(10)   Since 2021 and up to 19 March 2026, a total of 33 code of conduct investigations have commenced. Of those investigations, 12 have been completed and 21 remain ongoing.

(11)   For the purposes of the answer, I'm using the definition of 'stood down' as a suspension with pay under employment direction 4. Since 2021 and up to 19 March 2026, there have been five matters where a breach of the code of conduct has been upheld.

(12)   From January to December 2514, staff have been recruited to youth worker roles at AYDC. During the same period, nine youth workers have separated from employment with the Tasmanian State Service.

(13)   The department does not formally benchmark annual staff separations against external data or figures. Where there is an unusually high level of separations within a particular workforce or they have occurred over a short period of time the department may review the circumstances to identify any emerging trends, workforce pressures or issues requiring management attention and follow up.