A Northern Territory MP has apologised for the “child abuse” and “brutality” occurring in the juvenile justice system, and called for the chief minister to stop blaming others.
Matt Conlan, a former minister in the ruling Country Liberal party, spoke in response to shocking footage aired on ABC’s Four Corners of detainee abuse inside Northern Territory juvenile detention centres, and criticised himself and other leaders.
“I’m very sorry this has taken place. I’m so sorry these children were subjected to this treatment,” he told ABC radio. “I’m just so sorry that as a member of the cabinet, as a minister of the crown at the time, that I didn’t make it my business to find out and essentially allowed it to continue.”
Conlan, who will be retiring from his Alice Springs seat of Greatorex at next month’s election, said the response so far was inadequate and lacked compassion.
“I think we need to take responsibility for what has happened, particularly on our watch,” Conlan said. “It feels that everyone else has been responsible for the treatment of these children in detention except the NT government.
“I have not heard once the chief minister [Adam Giles] offer an apology or admit responsibility for what’s taken place from 2012, at least, and I think once I heard [former Labor prime ministers] Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd being blamed for this, it became very clear that we as a [territory] government had lost all perspective with the issue. It just sounded very desperate.”
Conlan said the boys featured on Four Corners were “difficult children” who had been in and out of detention, but added: “It’s not a green light to engage in what I think can only be described as child abuse, the brutality, the complete deprivation of basic living requirements, and the sneering and satisfaction and the joy that it seemed to bring to these prison officials.”
According to hansard, Conlan was not present for a vote in February on the youth justice amendment bill, which properly authorised the use of restraint chairs and other “mechanical restraints”.
Independent MLA Gerry Wood was among those who helped pass the Youth Justice Amendment Act. In a radio interview, he rejected the view that he “voted for the chair” when he voted in favour of the act.
Wood said he voted for improved legislation that included better oversight, and had listened to the advice of the Criminal Lawyers Association, which, he claimed, advised the amendment was an improvement on the old law.
He claimed he didn’t hear the NT attorney general, John Elferink, say the bill would include restraint chairs and cable ties.
However, in February, when the parliament passed the bill, Wood questioned “what type of restraints will be approved and what will be the protocol for their use”.
Elferink answered: “From time to time mechanical systems have to be used. Examples of such a restraint are things like the chair. I would rather not have the chair.”
During that speech Wood also questioned what rehabilitation services were at the Don Dale youth detention facility. Elferink did not specify, but replied Wood would be “very surprised”.
On Thursday Wood again pushed for better rehabilitation services, including bush-based camps and programs.
“I think the reason we had to have these [problems] is because we’ve gone off on the wrong track,” he said.
Elferink has refused most media requests since Four Corners aired on Monday but defended his record to the Australian earlier this week.
“If you look at corrections today compared to corrections four years ago, you have a system that’s totally different in terms of employment, in terms of diversionary programs for inmates,” he said.
Guardian Australia understands Elferink is unhappy that coverage has focused on his time as minister, given a number of the incidents aired during the show occurred under the previous Labor government.
The opposition leader, Michael Gunner, on Thursday conceded “things went wrong under Labor’s watch”.
Gunner said the government was trying to address issues towards the end of its term but didn’t have a chance to properly respond before it was voted out.
“But things have gotten worse,” he said, citing the teargas, the restraint chair and the response to the reports on youth detention from the children’s commissioner, Colleen Gwynne, and former prison boss Michael Vita.
He also said both sides of government “got it wrong” with Dylan Voller, the boy pictured in the restraint chair, who has been in and out of the justice system since he was 11 years old.
“We actively escalated the problem, rather than de-escalating it and breaking the cycle. We can’t give up on a 12-year-old. That’s a terrible thing to do,” he said.
“When that 12-year-old is at Don Dale, they should not in any way be subject to that.”
Gunner said the Northern Territory had to change the way it approached youth justice and said it was unacceptable for Elferink to stay in his role.
