A group aiming to close Don Dale youth prison immediately has protested outside the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly today to mark the four year anniversary of the date a royal commission gave the NT Government to report on when it would close the prison.

Speakers at the noon protest included Larrakia woman June Mills, independent MLA for Mulka Yingiya Guyula, and families of children who have been locked up in Don Dale.

In July 2020, the Northern Territory Government announced developer Halikos had won the $55.1 million contract to build a new Don Dale, about 300 metres from Darwin’s adult prison at Holtze. It was due to be finished this year. Chief Minister Michael Gunner has not given a recent update when the new youth prison would open.

Darwin barrister and youth justice advocate John Lawrence said the group was protesting to highlight what it says is the NT Government’s disregard for the 2017 royal commission into youth detention’s key recommendation that Don Dale be closed.

The commission’s final report was released on November 17, 2017 and gave the NT Government three months to give a progress report on its plan to close Don Dale.

“Four years ago, on this day, the commissioners instructed the NT Government to produce a report on the ‘program for that closure’,” he said.

“Four years later, the children and young people remain in Don Dale, which the commissioners described as failing ‘to comply with basic binding human rights standards… not fit for accommodating, let alone rehabilitating, children and young people’.”

“Having children in Don Dale is an appalling situation and it’s becoming obvious that this government has no intention of stopping this dreadful situation.

“It’s been over four years since the royal commission told the government to close Don Dale.

“Four years of this government locking up children in that disgraceful place.

“And things are getting worse. After the introduction of harsh new bail laws last year, more and more children are being placed in this dreadful, shameful facility. Don Dale needs to be shut now! Not next year.”

Mr Lawrence said late last year, for the first time since the royal commission, a 10-year-old child was detained in Don Dale.

In 2016, ABC’s Four Corners program showed vision from August 2014 of six boys in isolation in the original Don Dale being tear-gassed. The was the catalyst for the royal commission.

The children were moved in 2015 after some of them damaged and broke out of the original facility.

They were moved to the old condemned Berrimah adult prison, which was re-named Don Dale.

Mr Lawrence said Territory Families data showed the average number of children in detention had risen from 36.6 in November 2020, to 60.6 in November 2021.

In late January, the NT Government told the NT News it had implemented 152 of the 218 commission recommendations, with 63 underway and three not started.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner told the paper there was no point protesting about Don Dale because a new youth prison was being build.

“There is no merit in debating the future of a facility which will be permanently closed within a year and replaced with a modern, fit-for-purpose youth corrections centre as per the recommendations of the Royal Commission,” Mr Gunner said.

The group has held weekly protests at the current Don Dale prison every week since Christmas.