Queensland’s deputy premier says he has no sympathy for “juvenile grubs” in youth detention centres after concerns were raised about their welfare during lockdowns.
Jarrod Bleijie suggested it was often the children’s fault they had been placed in lockdown, pointing to reports of frequent attacks against staff.
“A lockdown is for the safety of not only the offenders but the workers, and it is because some juvenile grub has caused the lockdown in the first place, whether they have started a physical altercation or whatever the case may be,” he said.
“So, if you’re thinking you are going to find sympathy from me for a youth offender in our youth justice system, you ain’t gonna get it from me.”
Jarrod Belijie met with Flying Whale representatives during a Paris visit in 2025. (ABC News: Sarah Richards)
On Thursday, Australian Workers Union (AWU) members stopped work at every youth detention centre across Queensland after a reported 387 serious assaults against workers at the centres in the past year.
“No worker should have to go to work worried about being assaulted and injured,” AWU Queensland secretary Stacey Schinnerl said.
“For our members working in youth detention, that is their reality every single day.“
Staff stopped work at Cleveland Youth Detention Centre in Townsville on Thursday, June 11, 2026. (Background Briefing: Baz Ruddick)
Impact of lockdowns
Youth Advocacy Centre chief executive Katherine Hayes said kids were confined to their cells for up to 23 hours a day during lockdowns and raised concerns about the impact on their health and rehabilitation.
“In the Wacol Youth Remand Centre kids haven’t been able to shower,” she said.
“In the other detention centres, they don’t have access to exercise, education or medical facilities.
“The problem with that is it is not providing any rehabilitation, which prevents reoffending.“
Ms Hayes said lockdowns had been reported at centres for weeks and months, and they were often imposed due to staff shortages.
“I’ve heard it said that the children themselves have caused the lockdown, but the vast majority that we see … are caused by staff shortages,” she said.
“It is an ongoing problem.”
West Moreton and Brisbane Youth Detention Centre was included in the stop work action. (ABC News: Scott Kyle )
Mr Bleijie said his message for children who did not want to be isolated in a youth detention centre was “don’t commit a crime”.
“They are in detention for a reason,” he said.
“They have been sent to jail by a judge, these are not good kids that we are dealing with.
“Is it rough for a young kid in a detention centre? No.”
Union meetings planned
Youth Justice Minister Laura Gerber said all youth detention centres remained “staffed and secure” during Thursday’s stop work, and that “isn’t a new concept” that unions would employ such tactics ahead of Enterprise Bargaining Agreement negotiations.
Ms Schinnerl, from the AWU, said it was “disappointing” Ms Gerber had “attempted to make this about bargaining instead of acknowledging the seriousness of the safety issues at the sites”.
Queensland Minister for Youth Justice Laura Gerber linked the stop work action to enterprise bargaining negotiations. (ABC News: Lucas Hill)
The AWU said at a Queensland Industrial Relations Commission conference on Thursday, the department agreed to immediately address safety and staffing issues with meetings to be held with the union over the coming weeks.
Mr Bleijie said the government would protect workers “against the offenders and perpetrators that are doing those alleged assaults on our workers”.
Opposition Leader Steven Miles said he was very concerned about the safety of workers at youth detention centres.
“These are the people working there to keep our community safe, and I for one don’t think that is good enough,” he said.
Queensland Human Rights Commissioner Debbie Platz said there may be an “increased risk of harm to children in detention” during periods of industrial action.
“Staffing shortages can result in children spending extended periods confined to their cells, which may limit their access to services and supports,” she said.
A sparse cell where children are held at Wacol Youth Remand Centre. (Supplied)
However, a spokesperson for the Department of Youth Justice and Victim Support said youth detention centres are currently fully staffed after a recruitment drive over the last 18 months.
During that time, there had been fewer “separations” due to staff shortages, the spokesperson said.
Young offenders are regularly monitored during lockdowns and released “as soon as it’s safe to do so”, the spokesperson said, adding that children “in separation” have access to health services, case workers and external support.
