http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-29/nt-seeking-damages-against-boys-tear-gassed-at-don-dale/7672120
The Northern Territory Government is claiming hundreds of thousands of dollars from two boys who were tear-gassed by prison guards at the Don Dale Youth Detention Centre, saying they caused more than $160,000 in damage during a breakout.
The boys, whose names have been suppressed by the Northern Territory Supreme Court, lodged papers in June this year seeking damages for alleged mistreatment at the hands of staff at the facility.
But the NT Government’s response, filed on July 4, is seeking damages for an escape attempt in which the two boys stole a car, before using it to ram a roller-door and re-enter the prison.
The Government claims the two boys escaped from Don Dale on May 31, 2015, causing $89,000 in damage.
It says they caused $74,025.60 damage when they rammed a roller-door at the prison using a stolen car on the following day.
The Government also says one of the boys caused $45,320 in an earlier escape attempt on February 24, 2015, when he stole a vehicle and drove at speed into an internal perimeter fence.
The claim says the boys interfered with locking mechanisms, made holes in ceilings and walls, damaged lights and CCTV camera, forced open doors causing damaged, destroyed furniture, drew graffiti, damaged electronics and computers, spread paint on walls, floors and a security camera, and used a fire hose to flood rooms and corridors.
The NT Government is seeking damages with interest and legal costs.
Oosterman Treats Blog 
July 29, 2016 at 4:36 am |
That one, as outrageous as it was – was short lived. Don Dale has made the instigators pull their heads in. What sort of arseholes are trying to manage troubled kids ? Neo-nazis ?
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July 29, 2016 at 4:39 am |
I wasn’t aware of that, Mike. Even so, the mere idea of it! I am getting radicalised and will soon join scrum sniffing rugby, eat Lamingtons and sing God save the Queen if this keeps going.
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July 29, 2016 at 7:30 am |
One should be wondering why teenagers are so desperate to escape. We currently have a royal commission looking into mistreatment of children in institutional care. Do we need another one, or are we capable of learning from the current RC?
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July 29, 2016 at 8:30 am |
Previous recommendations were totally ignored. It is all so hopeless. I am sure we need to incorporate into government and business the same percentage of foreign born Australians as the local Australians, of course including much more, the real Australians, the indigenous.
At the moment our institutions are manned by almost 100% local Anglo born even though in the general population about 35% are from overseas born parentage.
Australia does not reflect its general population in government. I don’t understand why that is so. This is one reason why we are so keen on punitive action instead of rehabilitation and restoration of so many that fall off the rails.
It is very British to punish and punish. They love it.
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July 29, 2016 at 7:35 am |
So brass faced and every thing else ! Where do such governments employees come from ?
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July 29, 2016 at 8:32 am |
They come from the private boarding schools that relish sledging, sexual abuse and humiliating. It is part of their education.
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July 29, 2016 at 8:38 am
Yes. I should have guessed. If we demolished those places I suppose more would spring up.
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July 29, 2016 at 10:47 am
Education is the answer. The only answer.
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July 29, 2016 at 5:30 pm |
This is beyond farce. Whose case would have been heard first (I realise from the comments that the NT government has withdrawn their case)? And with what were they expecting the boys to pay?
I think it is in Aarhuis in Denmark that they have worked out that to prevent disaffected youngsters from travelling to Syria and turning to violence, you need to make them feel loved, wanted and worthwhile at home. It works.
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July 29, 2016 at 11:10 pm |
Yes, Hilary. But Australia is no Danish Aarhuis.
Punishment alone never works. Even though, this is pointed out, the people in charge haven’t had the education nor the training to deal with those children that have committed crimes.
The whole detention system is unbelievably archaic, from its architecture down to its lowest levels of supervision.
It is all based on breaking the spirit of those children already so sadly troubled. As you pointed out, they need care not tear gas.
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July 29, 2016 at 10:54 pm |
I can’t wait till they take Australia to the International Criminal Court: https://undercoverinfo.wordpress.com/2016/05/04/its-official-australia-in-court-re-crimes-against-humanity/
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July 29, 2016 at 11:18 pm |
Yes, Stuart. I have been saying that for a long time. The inherently sadistic way Governments here are treating children, including, asylum seekers.
The chilling coldness of both major parties when the subject of asylum seekers comes up. Thousands of peoples lives are being ruined by the indefinite detention of refugees on Manus and Nauru.
There are serious breaches of Human Rights being committed and not just about the children in detention but on refugees as well.
Australia is not such a good place anymore.
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July 30, 2016 at 12:37 am |
I’ve been waiting to see when this would start hitting other news outlets. It’s finally in the Financial Times, and that article was linked by the Drudge Report. Whatever you think of Drudge, it’s a fact that once they pick up a story, the hits go up exponentially. It truly is a horror story.
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July 30, 2016 at 12:38 am |
Hmmm… I’m not sure how I got to the article, and now it’s behind a paywall. Let me explore.
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July 30, 2016 at 12:40 am |
Try using the Drudge link, here. The story is linked in the middle column, down just a ways, and just above the beginning of the listing of radio stations, etc.
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July 30, 2016 at 12:58 am
Yes, Linda. I got it. Thank you for that link. It seems to give even more detailed information.
A dreadful situation.
And now this. Australia is paying refugees to go back to the countries they fled from.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-30/manus-island-asylum-seekers-offered-double-to-return-home/7674606
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July 30, 2016 at 1:10 am
Oops. It’s back to the FT paywall.
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July 30, 2016 at 1:12 am
I just got to it again by refreshing the Drudge page, and then clicking the link again. If you can get it, keep it in a tab — that way, you won’t risk losing it again. So frustrating, though I understand the paywall concept.
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July 30, 2016 at 4:02 am |
Yep, it is working again. Thanks, Linda.
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July 30, 2016 at 9:42 pm |
The problem I have with Turnbull’s Royal Commission is that it’s about damage control and saving the arse of the Liberal Party and its affiliates. The commissioner for prisons and the Minister don’t get it. Even a member of the government who was a Minister but had to resign due to sending porm pictures of himself to a female colleague who supports the current stance doesn’t get it. Oddly the Chief minister who’s little more than a Mayor is Aboriginal defending the indefensible.
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July 30, 2016 at 10:36 pm |
Having Royal Commission is a bit like having sickies and getting paid for it. It’s just a way of avoiding doing something real. It is not taking action to resolve problems. Those problems keep popping up, year after year, decade after decade.
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