Labor to reopen Malmsbury youth prison two years after shutting it down

Labor will reopen a youth prison just two years after closing it, as the state government grapples with rising rates of crime and an increasing number of young people being held on remand.

Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre closed in 2023 after being plagued by violence against staff and attempted escapes.

When announcing its closure, Youth Justice Minister Enver Erdogan described its infrastructure as “ageing” and said Cherry Creek Justice Centre was better suited to rehabilitation and had more modern security features.

In announcing the reopening on Tuesday morning, Erdogan defended the government’s 2023 closure. 

“That was the right decision then, and this is the right decision now,” he said.

He said Malmsbury would initially house 30 low-risk offenders aged under 17 years and be more focused on rehabilitation, offering education and training programs. It will cost more than $140 million over four years to operate.

Erdogan said the number of young people being remanded under Labor’s new bail laws was increasing, “so we need more prison beds”.

“We are all horrified by these violent and brazen crimes that are increasingly committed by children,” he said.

“We’re expanding the youth justice system to take serious youth offenders off the streets while also providing opportunities to lower-risk young people to get back on track and away from crime.”

There were 128 Victorians aged under 18 in custody as of August this year, either serving time or on remand.

Opposition spokeswoman for youth justice Nicole Werner said the reopening was a clear failure by the government and would come at a huge cost to taxpayers.

“This is more evidence of a Labor government in panic as it has lost control of crime and has no solutions to make Victorians feel safe,” Werner said.

“Labor can’t manage money, can’t manage crime, and Victorians are paying the price.”

When Malmsbury was closed in 2023, it threatened the jobs of 240 staff. Some were redeployed to Parkville and Cherry Creek youth justice centres, but others took redundancies. About 114 staff will be rehired to run the centre, a process the government estimates could take up to six months.

Victorian secretary of the Community and Public Sector Union, Jiselle Hanna, who represents prison guards, said Labor had to ensure the centre was properly resourced to protect both the staff and young inmates.

“We’ll be watching closely to make sure past mistakes aren’t repeated and that our members’ industrial interests are represented,” she said.

“It’s not as simple as just reopening the facility, either. The government must invest in decent working conditions to retain skilled staff. If the jobs aren’t safe, sustainable, and worth staying in, people leave. That churn hurts everyone.”

Malmsbury was marred previously by several high-profile incidents, including attacks against female staff, riots, and escapes. 

Greens leader Ellen Sandell said Labor was recycling failed policies that were not making the community safer.

“It would cost taxpayers millions just to reopen the Malmsbury centre, and then another $1 million just for one single young person every year in detention each year after that,” she said.

“It makes absolutely no sense when for a fraction of that we could fully fund the prevention and early intervention programs that Labor has cut – programs that we know are proven to keep hundreds of young people out of the criminal justice system in the first place and actually reduce crime.”

Mindy Sotiri, executive director of judicial reform advocacy group Justice Reform Initiative, said it was misuse of taxpayer money and a failure of evidence-based policy.

“All the evidence shows that contact with the criminal justice system increases the likelihood of reoffending, particularly for children, who are more likely to cycle in and out of the system for years to come — and taxpayers are footing the bill for this ineffective approach,” Sotiri said.

“Spending millions reopening an unfit facility like Malmsbury loops us into an expensive, destructive cycle rather than tackling what actually keeps communities safe.”

Crime figures released in June by the independent Crime Statistics Agency indicated Victoria was experiencing record levels of offending. Crime is shaping up as a major political talking point ahead of the November 2026 election.

Get the day’s breaking news, entertainment ideas and a long read to enjoy. Sign up to receive our Evening Edition newsletter.