Queensland's tough youth justice laws have led to some young people being held for long periods in police watch houses. The premier says she's heard the criticisms so now a new youth remand centre will be built.
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00:00 A vacant lot soon to be the site of a youth remand centre.
00:06 A place to go which is not in long term watch houses.
00:10 The government unveiling plans to rapidly build a 50 bed facility amid long running
00:16 criticism over children being held in adult watch houses.
00:20 No one wants to see young people in watch houses for extended periods of time.
00:24 I don't want to see it, the public doesn't want to see it.
00:27 We can't show you what the facility will look like, design plans are yet to be drawn up,
00:32 but the government insists it'll be fast tracked and finished next year.
00:36 This youth remand centre will go a long way to creating that capacity.
00:42 Demand has never been so high.
00:44 We make no apology for having some of the harshest youth justice laws in the country.
00:52 Latest figures show Queensland has more children in youth detention on an average night than
00:57 any other state.
00:59 And amid youth crime crackdowns, there's been pressure on police watch houses.
01:03 Earlier this year, one young person spent 39 days.
01:07 It doesn't help any community safety when they come out angrier because they've spent
01:11 a long period of time in these traumatic environments.
01:14 Lawyer Catherine Hayes says the government has been warned for years.
01:18 It's entirely foreseeable that we would need more accommodation built or have a greater
01:24 investment in diversion.
01:25 So this is too little too late probably.
01:27 Why wasn't it built in 2019 when those concerns were first raised?
01:33 Well that's a good question.
01:35 Two more youth detention centres are expected to open by 2026.
01:39 [BLANK_AUDIO]