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Katie Woolf spoke with CPSU Community & Public Sector Union NT Secretary Kay Densley · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Three sixty with Katie Wolf thanks to Joyce Main, Darwin
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: homes On and Stuart Highway Beerromart. Joining us on the
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: line right now is Kay Densley, the Northern Territory Regional
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  Speaker 1: Secretary for the CPSU. Good morning, Kay, Good morning now, Kay,
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  Speaker 1: we understand that there are some safety concerns being raised
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  Speaker 1: at the moment by staff out at the don Dale
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  Speaker 1: Detention Center.
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  Speaker 2: That's right. So it's been reported there's been more than
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: forty assaults on staff over the last couple of months.
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  Speaker 2: So all this has just arisen again. We've worked previously
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  Speaker 2: with the agency and especially with don Dale to put
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  Speaker 2: safety measures in place. We're having to do that yet again.
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  Speaker 1: What's changed?
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  Speaker 2: Why?
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  Speaker 1: You know, forty assaults in the last few months seems
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  Speaker 1: like a huge number.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, well there is. There's a lot of young people
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  Speaker 2: that are in detention at the moment, more than usual,
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  Speaker 2: and a lot of them have mental and physical issues,
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  Speaker 2: so more supports needed obviously, and more risk mitigation. So
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  Speaker 2: for example, there's no protective or PPEs you call it,
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  Speaker 2: for our staff to wear when they are dealing with
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  Speaker 2: you know, people who are young people who are aggressive.
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  Speaker 1: Wow, I mean, why on earth is there no ppe
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  Speaker 1: or no, no sort of you know, none of that's
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  Speaker 1: that uh that protective equipment or clothing for them.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly. And you know it's a question that we've
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  Speaker 2: asked and you'll be surprised at the answers, but uh,
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  Speaker 2: there's always excuses about it. So the injury a week
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  Speaker 2: or so ago on one of our members who had
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  Speaker 2: to be hospitalized, uh, you know, was just it was
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  Speaker 2: avoidable and things need to be put in place. So
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  Speaker 2: we're working closely with management now to try and put
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  Speaker 2: these things in place. We are getting some kickback, but
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  Speaker 2: we're hoping for a better outcome.
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  Speaker 1: Goodness me kay. A week or so ago, so there
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  Speaker 1: was a staff member out there who was injured to
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  Speaker 1: the point of needing to be hospitalized.
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  Speaker 2: That's correct. Yes, there was actually a couple of them
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  Speaker 2: that had to go to hospital, but only one of
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  Speaker 2: them had to stay in Is that person okay, oh yeah, yeah, recovering,
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  Speaker 2: but it's going to take quite some time. So you know,
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  Speaker 2: we just can't have staff as a number of staff
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  Speaker 2: who are off injured, and you know it's besides the
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  Speaker 2: cost of that, the cost to them and their families
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  Speaker 2: and you know, the emotional strain on all the others
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  Speaker 2: as well is just unacceptable.
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  Speaker 1: So kay, is this a situation now where you're you're
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  Speaker 1: working with management? By the sounds of it, have there
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  Speaker 1: been meetings with government? Is the Minister responsible Kate Warden
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: in this case because it now falls under that family's portfolio.
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  Speaker 2: Well, at this stage, we're just working with territory families
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  Speaker 2: and our Health and Safety reps obviously are very involved
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  Speaker 2: in that as well and putting forward suggestions and trying
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  Speaker 2: to put plans in place. We've got a work health
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  Speaker 2: and safety expert who's working with them to look at
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  Speaker 2: risk mitigation, etc. The way that they staff. For example,
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  Speaker 2: We've long been talking to them about rosters and ensuring
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  Speaker 2: that there's enough stuff, especially to handle those aggressive, hard
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  Speaker 2: to manage young people. And there are a few of
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  Speaker 2: those in there and that happens every so often.
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  Speaker 1: And are you satisfied with that? You know, with going
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  Speaker 1: through it that way? I with working with territory families
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  Speaker 1: to try and sort this issue out.
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  Speaker 2: Well, it's truly all we've got. Yes, so far, they're
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  Speaker 2: listening to us and working with us, So I'm hoping
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  Speaker 2: that that continues.
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  Speaker 1: Well, that's a step in the right direction now I understand.
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  Speaker 1: I did read in the Sunday Territorian that some of
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  Speaker 1: the youth justice officers are quite concerned as well about
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  Speaker 1: the new Youth Justice Center which is currently under construction,
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  Speaker 1: Concerned that it's not going to be big enough, given
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  Speaker 1: the fact that it's only got space for thirty beds.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, and those concerns are raised because there's more than
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  Speaker 2: thirty have been in don Dale for example, this time around,
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  Speaker 2: just over the last few weeks. So I'm unsure about
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  Speaker 2: what they can put in place for when there are
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  Speaker 2: those numbers that peak over that thirty bed But questions
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  Speaker 2: have been asked about that.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, and no response to that at this stage.
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  Speaker 2: I'm not at this stage. And of course, you know,
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  Speaker 2: the building of it is a little way off though
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  Speaker 2: that design has been done. It's thoroughly needed, you know,
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  Speaker 2: there's an old prison is no place to get the
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  Speaker 2: best rehabilitation outcomes for young people by any means, and
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  Speaker 2: it's it's pretty difficult to staff as well. When you're
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  Speaker 2: talking about you know, they're not correctional officers, their youth
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  Speaker 2: justice officers and there's a lot of interaction with the
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  Speaker 2: young people, so it's not you know, as I guess,
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  Speaker 2: it's not a prison. It's what I'm saying. Yeah, they're
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  Speaker 2: in a prison. So yeah, we're looking everyone's looking forward
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  Speaker 2: to the new facility as long as it's big enough.
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  Speaker 2: But hopefully the diversion plans that they have in place
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  Speaker 2: will start to work. Yep.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, I am going to have to wrap up. Can
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  Speaker 1: I just ask you very quickly and you may not
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  Speaker 1: be able to reveal the detail, but what what happened
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  Speaker 1: in that incident about a week or so ago when
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  Speaker 1: there were two staff injured.
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  Speaker 2: My understanding is that that the young people had fashioned
• 6:03
  Speaker 2: uh pointed metal object out of a mop handle, so
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  Speaker 2: you know, and and then attacked. So you know, these
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  Speaker 2: things happen. Things are left around. All that stuff is
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  Speaker 2: a health and safety issue and everyone needs to be
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  Speaker 2: aware of where they're leaving equipment, et cetera. It's happened
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  Speaker 2: previously when, for example, construction workers were within the prison
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  Speaker 2: wow or the you've justice facility and leave things around.
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  Speaker 2: So it's a big job when repairs need to be done,
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  Speaker 2: but you have to be vigilant and everyone has to
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  Speaker 2: be vigilant about what's left around.
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  Speaker 1: So kay, was that person stabbed with that object.
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  Speaker 2: Then there was cuts.
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  Speaker 1: Yes, goodness. May I really hope that they are okay
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  Speaker 1: and that there is a speedy recovery for that person.
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: Kay Densley, CPSU, the secretary, the Regional Secretary, I should say,
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  Speaker 1: I really appreciate your time. Please let us know how
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: you go with those meetings. Would be keen to catch
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  Speaker 1: up with you again. Thanks you too,