{"id":45843,"date":"2025-04-24T11:15:51","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T01:15:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.decyp.tas.gov.au\/safe-children\/youth-justice-services\/youth-justice-reform-in-tasmania\/tasmanian-youth-justice-facility\/"},"modified":"2026-08-15T07:40:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T21:40:20","slug":"tasmanian-youth-justice-facility","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/decyp.dev.ionata.com\/vi\/safe-children\/youth-justice-services\/youth-justice-reform-in-tasmania\/tasmanian-youth-justice-facility\/","title":{"rendered":"New Tasmanian Youth Justice Facility"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Key Information<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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  • A Request for Tender (RFT) has now been released for the construction of the new Tasmanian Youth Justice Facility at 466 Brighton Road, Pontville.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • The Development Application for the new Tasmanian Youth Justice Facility at 466 Brighton Road, Pontville was approved by the Southern Midlands Council in December 2025. An appeal of the permit is currently being considered by the Tasmanian Civil & Administrative Tribunal (TASCAT).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • The Department will provide updated timeframes for the new facility and for the closure of the Ashley Youth Detention Centre once the outcome of the appeal and the procurement process is known.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • The draft Tasmanian Youth Justice Facility Model of Care was released for a period of public consultation, which concluded on 17 April 2026. We thank all participants for their contributions, which will inform the development of the final Facility Model of Care, planned for release in mid-2026. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Project overview<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    A commitment has been made to close the Ashley Youth Detention Centre (AYDC) as soon as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The decision to close AYDC and build a new facility aligns with the recommendations of the Youth Justice Blueprint and the Tasmanian Government’s Commission of Inquiry. These recommendations prioritise therapeutic trauma informed approaches. Evidence shows that therapeutic approaches prevent reoffending and keep the community safer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The new Tasmanian Youth Justice Facility will play a role in the broader reforms to Tasmania\u2019s youth justice system. The main focus of the reforms is on diversion and early intervention, with detention being a last resort. The new Facility will focus on providing care for the small number of children and young people who need secure accommodation, within a therapeutic, trauma-informed and culturally safe environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Aerial<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    For the small number of children and young people who require care within a secure environment, the Facility will provide:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    • A safe, secure and rehabilitative facility for children and young people.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • A facility where healing and wellbeing is the primary focus.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • An environment where children and young people are supported to address their offending behaviour and successfully return to the community as positive, contributing members of society.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • An environment where children, young people, staff and visitors feel safe and supported.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • The community with confidence that children and young people in detention are in a secure, safe, purpose-built facility that provides a high standard of care and rehabilitation support.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      The Facility will be built at 466 Brighton Road, Pontville, with access off Rifle Range Road. Rifle Range Road will be upgraded to support this use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The Facility will provide an environment where children and young people experience the highest standards of child centred, rights-based and therapeutic care. It will also provide them with education, services and opportunities that support them to enhance connections and return successfully to the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The Facility will have a non-institutional feel and be made up of individual buildings. A \u2018Building as Perimeter\u2019 model has been adopted. This means views from within the buildings and houses in the Facility will have clear sight lines to the surrounding rural land and the hills forming the valley in which it sits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The large site (~32ha) allows the Facility to sit approximately 150m away from surrounding uses. It is expected that the open space around the Facility will continue to be used as horse grazing land. This provides further opportunity for windows from the facility to look directly out to the landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The safety, both physical and psychological, of children and young people, staff and neighbours will be at the forefront as the design for the Facility progresses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Watch a video fly through of the new Facility.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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