Youth detention workers strike over safety concerns at Queensland centres

Youth detention workers strike over safety concerns at Queensland centres Thu 6 Aug 2026 at 12:07pm Youth detention workers at centres across Queensland have walked off the job, citing ongoing safety, overcrowding and staffing concerns. Employees from the Brisbane, Cleveland and West Moreton Youth Detention Centres, as well as the Wacol Youth Remand Centre, are taking part in industrial action today. The negotiations began in early March and about 100 members participated in demonstrations at the Wacol facility, which began about 9am and will continue until the afternoon. The strike comes after hundreds of reported assaults on detention centre employees over the past year, alongside continued concerns about overcrowding and understaffing. In June, data seen by the ABC showed three of four south-east Queensland facilities had detainee numbers above "safe capacity" levels. Loading...Australian Workers' Union Queensland Secretary Stacey Schinnerl addressed workers at a rally, saying the state's youth detention workforce was bearing the brunt of the government's youth crime response. "It's seemingly the jewel in the crown of the LNP's government youth crime policy." "At the end of the day, the work that these workers perform is very, very high risk." Ms Schinnerl said workers were "suffering" and "facing unimaginable occupational violence and they are simply not being recognised." "Safety always has to come first … on the data alone, we've seen 500 serious incidents preceding 12 months." Ms Schinnerl said centres failed to retain 60 per cent of their staff over the last 12 months. In a statement, Youth Justice Minister Laura Gerber said the safety and security of workers and youth in detention centres was "vitally important" "On behalf of Queenslanders, we remain at the table to negotiate enterprise bargaining agreements in good faith and encourage the Labor unions to join us," the statement said. "We have delivered more youth detention centre workers and increased capacity by 25 per cent, with more beds on the way." [Image text:] OUGHIS ENOUH TOP THE ASSAUTS INVESTINWE CNTIMCARE STAFF CINVEST IN SAFETY! EEP YOUR EO