Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is the Minister representing the Attorney-General and the Minister for Youth, Senator Wong. Is the minister aware of reports surrounding the appalling conditions of juvenile justice detention centres around Australia, and in particular reports about the Magill Youth Training Centre in her and my home state of South Australia that young people are being detained with no privacy and poor training and rehabilitation options?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Perhaps I should first clarify that I do not represent the Minister for Youth; Senator Arbib represents the Minister for Youth. I represent the Minister for the Status of Women, but—

Alan Ferguson (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Ferguson interjecting—

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am older than Senator Arbib, that is true. I think I am younger than you still, Fergie!

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! It is disorderly during question time to trade ages! Senator Wong, the first thing is that you are entitled to be heard in silence; the second thing is that interjections are disorderly.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will take that interjection as someone of Chinese descent. We do have a different view of age—it is something to be venerated. So there you go, Senator Ferguson!

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Was that your attitude to John Howard?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Abetz continues to try to convince himself that Mr Howard is still the prime minister, but anyway! Senator Hanson-Young, I have gone into the question in my capacity as Minister representing the Attorney-General. I am aware of an article in the Advertiser from a few days ago on the Magill Training Centre. As senators may or may not be aware, that is a detention centre for young people who have been arrested and refused bail or been before a court and remanded in custody. The article makes a range of assertions about the conditions of the training centre.

Obviously, some of those allegations are of concern. The training centre, as I understand it, is the responsibility of the South Australian government. In fact, Senator Hanson-Young, I think you made some comments in that article in relation to that issue. As I said, there are some concerning suggestions made in that article by people who are in that training centre and the government is aware of that in that context, but I again make the point that these are— (Time expired)

Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the senator for the clarification. I know that she used to be responsible for representing the Minister for Youth. Of course, before, there was an even younger senator on the front bench here. Thank you, Senator Wong, for answering those questions, particularly those relating to your role representing the Attorney-General, because I do believe that this is an important justice issue.

I have a supplementary question. Is the minister aware that the conditions of the Magill youth training centre have been described as ‘a living children’s rights abuse hell’ by the Australian youth representative to the United Nations? They are said to be in breach of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, a convention to which Australia is a signatory. It must, therefore, be an important issue for the federal government. It is a breach because it does not comply with health and safety standards and does not provide a standard of living adequate for a child’s physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development, let alone the ability to help these young people to be rehabilitated— (Time expired)

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am aware that Australia is a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. As I said, this is a centre that, as I understand it, is operated by the state government. I note that Senator Hanson-Young has suggested—I am not sure if that was one of the questions in the range of questions she asked me—that this should be part of the stimulus spending. I reiterate there that there were very clear guidelines around the nature of the facilities that the stimulus package would be expended upon. In the context of the education aspect, it was very clear that it would be spent on schools. I can advise the senator that the Attorney-General’s office is aware of these issues and that the government will consider the concerns that have been raised and, if appropriate, raise these issues with the South Australian government—that is, if they are appropriate. (Time expired)

Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Given the fact that the federal government has responsibility for ensuring that we are not in breach of the conventions to which Australia is a signatory, will the Minister for Youth or the Attorney-General consider leading a delegation to visit the site themselves, to see exactly what the conditions are like and to put that on the public record so that the Australian public knows what types of conditions we are detaining young people in?

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, you can answer only that part which relates to your capacity.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am asked about the Minister for Youth. Senator Hanson-Young will have to address that question to Senator Arbib. As I said, the government will look into the concerns and, if appropriate, raise those concerns with the South Australian government. But I again reiterate: as I understand it, this is a centre operated by the South Australian government. I also understand that the South Australian government had previously committed to building and new centre but that, unfortunately, as a result of financial constraints in the current economic climate, it is unable to fulfil that commitment at this time.