The Northern Territory and Queensland governments are turning a blind eye to harm inside youth detention centres, First Nations leaders say, questioning what they have to hide by refusing United Nations scrutiny.
Earlier this month, National Indigenous Times reported the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Albert K. Barume, would be blocked from visiting youth detention facilities in Darwin and Townsville.
It marks the second time in less than 12 months that the Northern Territory Government has blocked a UN delegation from inspecting detention facilities, and led to a stinging rebuke from politicians and human rights advocates.
Mr Barume, who will address journalists on Friday in Sydney, expressed regret that these meetings would not take place due to the "refusal by [the] state governments of [the] Northern Territory and Queensland to engage with the mandate".
In a joint statement on Thursday afternoon, Sue-Anne Hunter, the newly appointed National Commissioner for Indigenous Children and Young People, joined First Nations commissioners, guardians and advocates in condemning the two governments' decision and calling on facilities across the country to fully cooperate with the delegation.
"What has been evidently clear, these governments have denied the visit because they know they are turning a blind eye to the entrenched issues that are continuing to cause harm in these centres," they wrote.
"If the safety and rights of children is to be upheld, there would be no issues with allowing entry for UN Special Rapporteur from visiting these centres and doing their job."
Both the NT and Queensland governments have been criticised for legislation — including stricter bail laws — that experts say is contributing to an increase in the number of children behind bars.
Queensland locks up more Aboriginal children and young people than any other jurisdiction, while virtually all children in prison in the Territory are Aboriginal.
A Territory Department of Corrections spokesperson told this masthead last week that the NT Government is "not facilitating a visit to the Holtze Youth Detention Centre as part of the United Nations Special Rapporteur's visit".
"Northern Territory detention facilities are subject to established independent oversight and accountability arrangements," the spokesperson said.
Independent oversight for prisons in the Territory falls to "official visitors".
They report directly to the Minister, who does not have to make any of their findings public. Legislation requires that every prison and youth detention centre "must be visited by an official visitor appointed for that detention centre at least once every month".
However, the latest Corrections report shows there were only seven official visits - by four 'official visitors' — to Holtze Youth Detention Centre in 2025-26 — barely half the required amount.
National Indigenous Times asked NT Youth Justice about the lack of visits to Holtze in the last financial year but received no reply.
In their statement, the commissioners and advocates said the refusals were part of a broader institutional pattern, warning they risked damaging Australia's international standing.
"It signals a message directly to our children that they are not worth the same protection as their non-Indigenous peers," they wrote.
They called on state and national leaders to uphold Australia's international human rights obligations and ensure the rights, safety and wellbeing of First Nations children were protected.
"These systems are clearly failing children," they said. "Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people are overrepresented in every youth justice system across the country."
Failure of the Commonwealth
After it was revealed that the two governments had blocked Mr Barume's visit, independent Senator Lidia Thorpe told this masthead the decision to block the Special Rapporteur was a failure of the Prime Minister and the Federal Attorney-General.
They both have "clear power to establish enforceable minimum standards across the criminal legal system, to pull states and territories into line," she argued.
"The Federal Government is happy to sign up to international human rights commitments but refuses to actually act on them. It is time they set minimum standards and hold governments accountable for the treatment of people in prisons, including children."
In response, a spokesperson for Attorney-General Michelle Rowland said the decisions by the NT and Queensland governments not to meet with Mr Barume were a "matter for their governments".
"The decision does not reflect the position of the Albanese Government, and we encourage all jurisdictions to engage constructively with the Special Rapporteur," they told National Indigenous Times.
Speaking to journalists last week after a joint council meeting on closing the gap, Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy said it is important the Special Rapporteur could visit all youth detention facilities across the country.
"We come together as a Joint Council twice a year, and we intend to work always to try to close the gap," she said. "And that should also mean being unafraid to speak to the United Nations Special Rapporteur."
