This comes soon after Mr Elliot told a parliamentary estimates committee hearing that there was “no practice or provision of isolation of young people in custody”.

Over six months ago I was approached by staff from Legal Aid and Juvenile Justice that confirmed that, according to the NSW Ombudsman, Juvenile Justice recorded 123 “segregations” of detainees lasting more than 24 hours in the past financial year and 87 “separations” for reasons such as gender, age and health.

I hoped to meet with the Minister for Juvenile Justice but quickly found out that no such position existed. After a few days of searching, I was told that the Minister for Corrections, David Elliot, was the Minister for Juvenile Justice. A meeting was sought with the Minister and a date was set.

I travelled three hours to attend the meeting and received a phone call 20 minutes before the meeting, letting me know that the Minister could not meet with me as he was not in the building. Instead, I met with a totally disinterested staffer – the meeting finished in 15 minutes.

At that meeting, I put it to the staffer that, in fact, David Elliot had not been the Minister for Juvenile Justice until a few days ago. The staffer denied that.

I asked to see anything that indicated Juvenile Justice was included – even a letterhead. There was no such letterhead.

For young people, every attempt needs to be made to return them to the community rehabilitated. This involves providing them with the appropriate assistance and treatment to ensure that they do not return to previous negative activities

Solitary confinement and other punitive approaches only increase the risk of reoffending as research, evidence and experience can attest. For this reason, the incarceration of any young person should only ever be used after all other avenues of rehabilitation have been exhausted. 

It’s time to put a stop to these dangerous and ineffective practices.

Father Chris Riley, CEO and founder

Youth Off The Streets

AFTER 16 years of mismanagement by them NSWLabor Party, rural Australians looked forward to a strong Coalition government in NSW.

Now look what has happened following the Orange by-election.

The NSWNational Party has totally abandoned rural NSW.

Barnaby Joyce and Duncan Gay (with the implementation of a plan and funding to fix up regional roads) must be pulling their hair out.

Their good work has all been thrown away by the belligerence of a Premier and the failure of the Nationals to listen to their constituents.

The LLS has been a total disaster, with services stripped out of rural areas.

After six years of Coalition government, farmers in the north and the west of the state are still waiting for the native veg laws to be passed.

How the banning of the greyhound racing industry and the forced amalgamation of councils passed NSW  parliament without a whimper from the NSW Nationals beggars belief.

A moratorium on the current forced amalgamations must be called immediately and the old shires reconstituted.

The Hilltops merger is a farce.

We now have an administration running around handing out grants (the very thing Premier Baird said had to end) but doing nothing to foster economic development.

Harden Council should be given the opportunity to amalgamate with Cootamundra as they agreed to do.

If the Coalition continues to act as they have, Labor will be back in office at the next election.

Tony Flanery

Galong

Asbestos is a killer that continues to claim the lives of Australians including men, women and young adults years after it was banned in Australia in 2003.  To save lives we’re on a mission to educate more Australian’s than ever before about potentially dangerous asbestos products still lurking in one third of Aussie homes.

After losing a dear friend and colleague to mesothelioma, the memory of what asbestos did to my mate Harold Hopkins and that it might have been avoided still fills me with deep sadness. Harold is among the countless Australian’s victims.

As Ambassador for Asbestos Awareness Month, former DIY renovator and tradie, I’ve met many, many people who like me, have lost someone dear to them and been unnecessarily exposed to asbestos fibres.  Friends, grandparents, husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, daughters, sons and tragically, even grandchildren have succumbed to asbestos-related diseases.

Asbestos is not a thing of the past.  If managed safely and products remain undisturbed, sealed and in good condition asbestos doesn’t pose a health risk. However, asbestos remains in one in every three Aussie homes and if disturbed releasing fibres that can be inhaled, lives can be at risk.

Asbestos is not just in fibro homes. Any brick, weatherboard, fibro or clad home, even apartments built or renovated before 1987 will contain asbestos in some form or another. Visit asbestosawareness.com.au today to learn what asbestos products might look like.

John Jarratt, Ambassador, Asbestos Awareness Month