A surprise announcement by the WA government this week promised $15m for a unique rehabilitation centre for at risk youth on a Kimberley cattle station.
But questions remain about who is running the proposed program, because the lead proponent has not had confirmation their plan is the one being green-lit .
Regional Development Minister Alannah MacTiernan announced a $15 million residential facility on Myroodah Station to divert youth from detention in Perth.
It was part of a broader $40 million package to address youth crime in the region.
Myroodah Station – 130 kilometres south-east of Derby – is owned by the Kimberley Agriculture and Pastoral Company (KAPCO) and is the location KRED Enterprises had already identified for their rehabilitation project, also costing $15m.
That program, first tabled in 2017, is called "Marlamanu" —the Walmajarri word for 'help' — and is designed to take at risk youth to the Aboriginal run station for six months of pastoral skills, cultural learning, schooling and physical work.
KRED Enterprises chief executive officer Damien Parriman said the organisation was yet to receive any confirmation from the government that it had been formally chosen to deliver the pilot project.
"We've heard we're the front runner, it hasn't been confirmed that this project has the green light yet," he said.
"But we have already engaged in some discussions about potential key roles within the program."
Mr Parriman said Marlamanu was designed to run over a six-to-12-month period with up to 20 teenage boys.
"It'll revolve around the weaner facility, taking care of the calves when they're removed from their mothers," he said.
"The program will provide a structured environment for working and learning and development of the individual."
Statistics in the extensive Marlamanu proposal state that one in five Indigenous youth have interactions with the justice system — a figure that Mr Parriman fears is now higher since the project's first research in 2017.
Participants' families would also be part of the rehabilitation, which was developed in partnership with Traditional Owners from Fitzroy Crossing, Derby and Bidyadanga.
More on-country sites needed
While the commitment to an alternative on-country sentencing option in the Kimberley has been welcomed, Halls Creek community leader Millie Hills believes there should multiple sites across the region.
"Maybe there could be a possibility that we look at two or three different areas," she said.
"One could be in the desert, one could be in the ranges, and one could be on the coast somewhere.
"So they [the participants] are getting three different types of environment and we could swap them around."
Despite the need for various cultural, environmental and regulatory approvals, the state government has flagged an early 2023 start date.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Ms MacTiernan said the government acknowledged that "there is significant work to get the proposal underway".
"The intense design and approval phase over the next three months will involve all relevant Government agencies," the spokesperson said.
