Don Dale govt stoush to continue into 2018
The Northern Territory government expects an answer from Canberra "early next year" about whether it will stump up cash for the juvenile justice royal commission's recommendations.
NT Labor last month accepted a recommendation from the jointly-funded inquiry to close Darwin's notorious Don Dale Detention Centre, but it's still unclear if the commonwealth will help pay for its replacement.
A stoush continues between the two governments following an unmatched $50 million pledge to build new Don Dale and Alice Springs detention facilities.
By late February the Gunner government will deliver proposed plans for new "state of the art" infrastructure, Territory Families says.
Work is set to begin within 18 months, but there was no federal funding allocated in the Coalition's budget update released this week.
"They've said they'll have a fulsome response early next year," Deputy Chief Executive Officer Operations Jeanette Kerr told AAP.
"The Territory government's response to the royal commission will be initially in February with a final one in March."
Footage of teenagers being tear-gassed, spithooded and shackled to restraint chairs in NT youth prisons sparked the $54 million probe last year and prompted Labor to inject millions of dollars to overhaul the broken system.
Royal commissioners Margaret White and Mick Gooda on Tuesday revealed to the ABC they privately recommended "a number" of criminal prosecutions be made to police following their investigations.
Ms White and Mr Gooda also slammed former chief minister Adam Giles, who called the probe alongside prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, for his lack of cooperation while giving evidence.
Ms White said she was astonished by the stupidity of people in power to ignore the lessons from past failings and called for an immediate end to the use of solitary confinement.
But Ms Kerr insists all children have been moved out of Don Dale's isolation block, which is being renovated and will eventually house young female offenders.
"There's been separation for medical reasons - for mumps," she said.
"But we haven't used isolation or intensive management plans for quite a number of months."
Ms Kerr says there's urgency to shut down the inadequate Don Dale, which was previously an adult jail, and expects the first sod to turn for new construction around mid 2019.
