Security cameras at northern Tasmania's troubled Ashley Youth Detention Centre were offline during a "critical incident" just days after the facility was set on fire, right to information laws have revealed.

First reported by the ABC, documents published by the Tasmanian Department for Education, Children and Young People (DECYP) under right to information laws indicate security cameras were not operational when a staff member was threatened with a knife on October 10, 2025.

According to the documents, the "critical incident" occurred while the centre's CCTV network was experiencing a "fault that impacted recordings" from 1:20pm to 5:30pm that day.

"The situation escalated after a staff member was threatened with a knife and the kitchen was damaged," said a question time brief for the Minister for Children and Youth Jo Palmer, the ABC reports.

"The young people involved were not seriously injured, and Tasmania Police attended.

"All other young people at AYDC were secured and accounted for, and AYDC entered full lockdown."

Days earlier three detainees were charged with arson and destroying property following a fire.

No one was injured due to the incident, according to Tasmania Police, with the fire causing extensive damage to the facility.

Reacting to the CCTV failure so soon after the major incident, Tasmanian Aboriginal Legal Service chief executive officer, Jake Smith, said the facility was not suitable to house children and young people.

"The failure of CCTV at any time in the facility, and particularly during a critical incident, further adds to mounting evidence that the facility is no longer fit for purpose," Mr Smith told National Indigenous Times.

National Indigenous Times understands seven of the 16 children detained at AYDC on October 5 are Indigenous, with seven out of 18 detainees Indigenous during the "critical incident" five days later.

Tasmania, similar to other states and territories, detains Indigenous children and young people at a disproportionate rate.

Recently released DECYP figures indicate on average, 19 children and and young people were detained at Ashley in the final quarter of 2025.

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the rate of Indigenous young people detained in Tasmania in the March 2025 quarter was 9.8 per 10,000 people, up from 9.0 per 10,000 in the June quarter of the previous year.

The data equates to Indigenous people in Tasmania aged 10-17 being 5.3 times more likely than young non-Indigenous Australians to be in detention on an average night during the reporting period, a sharp jump from 3.3 times more likely than in June, 2024.

In March Greens Children and Young People Spokesperson, Cecily Rosol, labelled the figures "distressingly high".

The government released a consultation document for its new youth justice facility in Pontville, north of Hobart, in March, which failed to secure the support of TALS.

Earlier this year AYDC staff participated in two hours of stop-work action due to conditions at the facility.

Less than 24 hours later, a fire broke out at the facility which led to two staff allegedly being assaulted, with one requiring hospitalisation.

The sequence of events led to Elder Rodney Dillon to call for senior Aboriginal involvement to support detained Indigenous youth.

Responding to questions posed by National Indigenous Times regarding the timeline for AYDC's closure, a Department for Education, Children and Young People spokesperson said the Government is committed to a youth justice system which achieves better outcomes for young people and their families and keeps the community safe.

"We are committed to closing Ashley Youth Detention Centre (AYDC) as soon as possible, and work is progressing on the new purpose-built therapeutic youth justice facility," the spokesperson said.

"Construction of the new facility cannot commence while the Tasmanian Civil & Administrative Tribunal (TASCAT) is considering appeals against the planning permit."

The government previously committed to closing AYDC by the end of 2027 however it said appeals to the Tasmanian Civil & Administrative Tribunal (TASCAT) could delay the completion of the construction by up to 12 months.

It said a revised completion date would be confirmed once the outcome of the TASCAT appeals process is known.