(Australian Broadcast Commission, 2016)

Within ten hours of the airing of a Four Corner’s (Meldrum-Hanna, 2016) investigative report into the Northern Territories Don Dale Juvenile Detention Centre, the Prime Minister announced a Royal Commission (Turnbull, 2016).

The program called Australia’s Shame showed shocking images and never seen before video footage that horrified the nation. Human rights organisations, government sectors and the public were united in their calls for immediate federal government intervention. (Brook, 2016) (Laundry & Triggs, 2016).(Australian Broadcast Commission, 2016)

How was the Prime Minister able to make a considered analysis of the situation and announce a Royal Commission within hours of the program going to air?  Because the information provided was not new.

The events outlined in the program occurred in 2014 and had been the subject of two independent inquiries.  The first by the Northern Territories Children’s Commissioner (Gwynne, 2015) and the second by order of the Attorney General (Vita, 2015).  The subsequent report findings were damning.

It was the first time that the video images and CCTV footage were made public, providing clear evidence that torture and mistreatment of children within the juvenile justice system was prevalent.  The scenes were disturbing and provoked a highly emotive response. (Meldrum-Hanna, 2016)

(Australian Broadcast Commission, 2016)

What is the state of governments in Australia where a current affairs program is the motivator for serious action?  How have the systemic failings of the juvenile justice system in the NT been allowed to continue in the face of the independent investigation findings?

It seems the Northern Territory is not alone, with documents obtained and released by Amnesty International (2016) concerning abuses at the Cleveland Detention Centre in Townsville, Queensland.

The Australian Broadcasting Commission’s 7.30 program (Atkin & Whyte) reporting on the  mistreatment of juveniles in detention in Queensland and calling for the federal government to include the Queensland juvenile system to form part of the current Royal Commission.

References

Amnesty International, 2016. Secret documents reveal culture of abuse in Queensland juvenile detention. [Online]
Available at: http://www.amnesty.org.au/news/comments/42359/
[Accessed 1 September 2016].

Atkin, M. & Whyte, S., 2016. CCTV shows alleged mistreatment at Townsville’s Cleveland Youth Detention Centre. [Online]
Available at: http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2016/s4522547.htm
[Accessed 1 September 2016].

Australian Broadcast Commission , 2016. Queensland youth detention: Independant review ordered by Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath. [Online]
Available at: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-19/queensland-youth-detention-centres-independent-review-ordered/7767580
[Accessed 30 August 2016].

Brooks, E., 2016. Shocking images reveal mistreatment at Queensland juvenile detention centre. [Online]
Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2016/08/18/shocking-images-reveal-mistreatment-at-queensland-juvenile-deten/
[Accessed 1 September 2016].

Brook, B., 2016. Q&A recap: Panelists ‘horrified’ at footage of youths hooded and tear-gased. [Online]
Available at: http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/current-affairs/q–a-recap-panellists-horrified-at-footage-of-youths-hooded-and-teargassed/news-story/ba0c7493e9ddc2f2af7bd968d4403aa8
[Accessed 26 August 2016].

Gwynne, C., 2015. Own Initiative Investigation Report Services Provided by the Department of Correctional Services at the Don Dale Youth Detention Centre, Darwin: Northern Territory Government.

Laundry, C. & Triggs, G., 2016. Incarceration, Islam and Innovation [Interview] (25 July 2016).

Meldrum-Hanna, C., Fallon, M. & Worthington, E., 2016. Australia’s Shame. [Online]
Available at: http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/2016/07/25/4504895.htm#backgrounder
[Accessed 22 August 2016].

Turnbull, M., 2016. Royal Commission to be Established into Don Dale Youth Detention Centre in the Northern Territory. [Online]
Available at: https://www.pm.gov.au/media/2016-07-26/royal-commission-be-established-don-dale-youth-detention-centre-northern-territory
[Accessed 26 August 2016].

Vita, M., 2015. Northern Territory Review into Youth Detention Centres, s.l.: Northern Territory Government.