The cost of the new youth detention facility at Holtze has blown out to $130 million – from its original $55 million tender four years ago – which the Chief Minister says was unavoidable but worth the cost because it will help “support young people on their journey”.
The $55.1 million contract to build the facility was awarded to Halikos (now called DCOH) in July 2020, with the building expected to be operational by mid-2022.
The old Don Dale centre was state of the art when it was built and run more like a holiday resort prior to the events that brought on the royal commission. They had tennis and basketball courts and indoor recreation facilities. The main issue was it was a place of last resort for serious offenders. The biggest issue was facility security.
Three million bucks a bed, where the heck is ICAC.
Another reason for Kirkman to go. Utter incompetence in project delivery. It has exceeded the benchmark cost of a hospital. Ouch. We need to be very very worried by the NT Mental Health Facility that went to contract with documents open to variations.
Construction companys have been bleeding the NT tax payer dry for years while the labor Numbies look the other way and NTG department heads enjoy the kick backs.
It would be better if youth were supported in their families to stay out of trouble in the first place. That would be a stronger commitment to achieving healthier and more sustainable outcomes for our communities. Invest in people, not prisons.