UN visits to Youth prisons blocked by Australian states

Debbie Kilroy, founder of the National Network of Incarcerated Women and Girls, criticized the decision, stating it hinders transparency and allows for ongoing harm to Indigenous children. “This is how gagging happens and how [governments] continue to get away with the harm that is perpetrated against Aboriginal children,” she said.

The UN special rapporteur, Albert K Barume, was scheduled to examine human rights issues impacting Indigenous Australians across multiple states, including Queensland, the Northern Territory, Western Australia, New South Wales, and the ACT, beginning on Monday. Planned meetings in the Torres Strait, Townsville, and Darwin, along with tours of the Cleveland Youth Detention Centre in Townsville and the Holtze Youth Detention Centre in Darwin, have been canceled.

Australia is bound by international agreements protecting prisoner rights. A spokesperson for the Queensland government offered a brief statement wishing the rapporteur well without providing a reason for the denied access.

This isn’t an isolated incident; a UN delegation was previously denied access to Northern Territory prisons in December of last year, and another UN body focused on torture prevention was blocked from facilities in Queensland and New South Wales in 2022. In 2023, Australia became only the second country globally, alongside Rwanda, where a UN visit was terminated entirely.

Kilroy expressed concern that new Queensland legislation, set to take effect November 30th, which mandates a minimum 12-month prison sentence for bail breaches by serious repeat young and adult offenders, will exacerbate the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in custody. She warned that the system is nearing collapse.

A recent report by the Queensland Ombudsman highlighted issues at the Cleveland Youth Detention Centre, including being over capacity during its last inspection in 2025 and housing 90 percent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. The report included 15 recommendations, such as standardizing cleaning practices, ensuring access to sunlight, and reinstating Elder visits and cultural awareness training.

Dr. Barume is scheduled to present his preliminary findings and recommendations in Sydney on November 13th.