Arabic version: المحكمة تأمر الدولة بالاعتذار عن نتائج مركز احتجاز الشرطة في كيرنز
Queensland’s Civil and Administrative Tribunal has found human rights breaches for three teenage boys held in the Cairns police watch house and has ordered the state to apologise to the complainants.
According to ABC News, QCAT published findings relating to three boys, aged between 13 and 17 at the time, who were held for periods of several days in 2021 and 2022. The tribunal found the children had limited privacy, had to use the toilet in front of others, and that one child’s detention in a padded cell for over an hour was “not compatible” with his human rights. It also accepted a lack of education materials, limited access to an exercise yard, less-than-daily changes of clothing, unhygienic cells with no windows or natural light, and that children were held too close to adult detainees. QCAT dismissed the applicants’ claims of indirect discrimination.
Youth Advocacy Centre chief executive Katherine Hayes told ABC News the findings were “unsurprising” and that the conditions were “replicated” across Queensland watch houses. She said the four detention centres in Queensland are operating beyond safe capacity and that children’s mental health declines “quite quickly” after spending days in watch houses. Ms Hayes warned proposed new youth bail laws would likely lead to more children entering a system she described as not ready to take on more kids.
Queensland Police Union president Shane Prior said significant government investment was needed to address overcrowding in what he called “disgusting” watch houses and stressed that police did not create the conditions. He said police routinely email the Department of Youth Justice every eight hours to request collection of juveniles from custody and noted 11 young people were held at the Cairns watch house on a single day this week, including one who had been there for 13 days. A Queensland Police Service spokesperson said the QPS was “currently considering” QCAT’s decision and remained committed to meeting its obligations under the Human Rights Act. Police Minister Dan Purdie said the government had delivered a $16 million investment into police and a full system overhaul since being elected.
Why this matters: the tribunal’s findings document conditions — lack of privacy, poor hygiene, limited access to education and exercise, proximity to adults and minimal natural light — that advocates link to rapid declines in children’s mental health and higher risks of further offending. What happens next: the state has been ordered to apologise to the complainants following the tribunal finding.
Related sections: Australia/استراليا | Queensland | General | Social/إجتماعية
