Media Release – State of Victoria named in class action for allegations of child abuse at Turana/Parkville Youth Justice Centre
Angela Sdrinis Legal (ASL) has filed a class action in the Supreme Court of Victoria against the State of Victoria on behalf of individuals who, as children, were placed in a facility within the Turana/Parkville Youth Justice Precinct (‘Parkville’) between 1 July 1973 and 31 December 2023 and who experienced physical and/or sexual abuse, with related emotional abuse. The Plaintiffs also rely on intentional torts, with respect to allegedly unlawful strip searches and isolation/solitary confinement.
This follows ASL’s success in the class action at the Tasmanian Ashley Youth Detention Centre, which settled in 2024 for $75,000,000 for 129 group members.
The class action is brought by two lead plaintiffs, CN (a pseudonym) and DH (a pseudonym), who allege serious sexual abuse by the same Officer against whom ASL has received complaints from 1998 to 2015. To date, group members have identified another 28 officers and employees who are alleged to have perpetrated sexual and/or physical abuse against them.
ASL encourages other potential victim-survivors to come forward and contact the firm to be considered for inclusion as group members in the proceeding.
The lead plaintiffs allege that the State of Victoria failed in its duty of care to protect children at Parkville from physical and psychological harm. The class action will address alleged systemic operational and governance failures that have left children at Parkville vulnerable to abuse by staff and co-detainees over more than 50 years.
Many class members also allege abuse by other detainees. The prevalence of child-on-child abuse has been reported as significant and a continuing problem in youth detention.
Class members describe officers as former professional boxers, ex-military personnel, and, in some cases, members of bikie gangs. Class members further describe an environment in which they were fearful of making complaints due to the likelihood of reprisal, including further physical assaults or being singled out and picked on by staff and other detainees.
ASL Director and principal solicitor, Angela Sdrinis, notes that “The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has raised serious concerns about youth detention in Australia, describing the system as a ‘human rights crisis’ that disproportionately affects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. UN experts and committees have criticised the detention of children as young as 10, the use of solitary confinement, and the continued operation of ‘inhumane’ detention centres.”
David Longano, who heads the class action team at ASL, said, “We call on the Victorian State Government to deal with this class action fairly, efficiently and expeditiously. The Government’s own reports paint a picture of an institution in crisis for decades, and as far back as the Turana years (1955 to 1993), during which the Royal Commission into Child Abuse concluded that widespread sexual and physical abuse had occurred at Parkville when it operated as the institution Turana.”
Whilst the claim period currently spans 1973 to 2023, inquiries from potential group members, whether within or outside this period, are urged to contact ASL for further information.
Potential group members should contact ASL at:
Phone: (03) 9686 6610
Email: info@aslegal.com.au
Online enquiry form: www.angelasdrinislegal.com.au