Question regarding the Premier's plans to address challenges in the youth justice system following a meeting, specifically concerning Banksia Hill Detention Centre. The Premier outlines new initiatives including on-country sentencing and legislative reform.

AnsweredQoN 749Legislative Assembly
Asked
23 November 2022
Portfolio
Premier

QuestionView source ↗

BANKSIA HILL DETENTION CENTRE — PREMIER'S
MEETING
749. Ms M.J. DAVIES to the Premier:
I have a supplementary question.
Could the Premier advise what his government will do differently to address the challenges in the youth justice system as a result
of his meeting held this morning or will he continue to do the same?

AnswerView source ↗

I just outlined to the Leader of
the Opposition, but I will be repetitive because that is the nature of her
questioning every single day. We are going to do something that has never been
done before, which is an on-country sentencing option. It is not a boot camp,
as the Liberal government before the last one put in place. It will be an
on-country sentencing option in the Kimberley for, in particular, Aboriginal
youths from throughout regional WA. That is different. A new model of care will
be developed—we are working through—that will be different from
what is currently in place. I outlined the rewrite of the legislation a moment
ago of the juvenile justice act.
Ms M.J. Davies : You're
already doing that, Premier.
Mr M. McGOWAN : It has not
been drafted; it has not been introduced.
The last juvenile justice act was
passed by Cheryl Edwardes, I think, back in the mid-1990s. It is something that has been redrafted with a view to
implementation. They are three important things. As I constantly say, and I thought that the Minister for Community
Services—both ministers were very impressive—was very
impressive this morning when she said
that it is a complex issue. There is rehabilitation and providing opportunities
to young people, detainees , which is incredibly important, but there are
also the rights and protection of people in the public and the victims. We have
to take both of these things into account; we cannot do just one.

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