00:00In a response to questions from the ABC, ACT Policing has confirmed that it received a
00:07detainee's complaint last week and that it related to an alleged incident late last year.
00:13Yesterday, the Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children said that
00:17she'd been refused access to the Bimberi Youth Justice Centre.
00:20Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts says she attempted to access the centre to meet with young people
00:25to talk about concerns about the use of physical force within the centre.
00:29It's unacceptable that my office has been informed of issues and concerns inside the
00:35Bimberi Youth Prison and have now been denied our access, which is within our legislation,
00:41to attend and maintain our oversight powers.
00:44In response, the ACT Community Services Directorate said it cannot comment on the allegation itself
00:49or the status of the staff member related to the alleged assault, as both are the subject
00:55of an active police investigation.
00:57The Director-General of Community Services says that office holders such as Commissioner
01:01Turnbull-Roberts can enter the Bimberi Centre for an hour every day in the afternoon, but
01:06beyond that, appointments are required.
01:09I do think it's reasonable because I have an obligation to ensure that we can manage
01:13all of the operational and safety and security needs of the centre, both for people who might
01:19visit, for staff, and my primary concern is for the young people in the centre.
01:24The Director-General said that these types of allegations come up from time to time,
01:28but there had not been any allegations of assault on young people this year.
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