Arabic version: منع الأمم المتحدة من دخول مركزي احتجاز للأحداث

According to ABC News, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples has been prevented from visiting youth detention centres in Queensland and the Northern Territory during an Australian delegation. Planned tours of the Cleveland Youth Detention Centre in Townsville and Holtze Youth Detention Centre in Darwin were scrapped.

The UN said requested government meetings in the Torres Strait, Townsville and Darwin would not proceed. It said the tours were cancelled due to a refusal by the Queensland and Northern Territory governments to engage with the mandate. Albert K Barume is tasked with investigating and reporting on human rights issues affecting Indigenous peoples in Australia, with visits planned across Queensland, the Northern Territory, Western Australia, New South Wales and the ACT.

Prisoner advocate Debbie Kilroy, founder of the National Network of Incarcerated Women and Girls, criticised the blocked visits. She said she was concerned the governments would not comply with the mandate and that a visit gave children the opportunity to speak with someone independent of the prison while allowing the Special Rapporteur to inspect conditions. A Queensland government spokesperson did not explain why the requested meetings and visits were not accommodated, saying the Crisafulli Government wished the Special Rapporteur well during his Queensland visit.

The Queensland Ombudsman last week tabled a combined inspection report on the state’s youth detention centres. It found Cleveland was above safe operating capacity at its last inspection in 2025, and that 90 per cent of detained children identified as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. The report made 15 recommendations, including standardising cleaning practices, providing daily fresh air and sunlight, restoring regular Elder visits for First Nations children and improving staff cultural-awareness training. Dr Barume is expected to share preliminary findings and recommendations in Sydney on November 13.