Overview

• Guidelines published in July 2025 require funded youth justice providers to seek departmental approval before engaging with media and prohibit discussing incidents outside the department and emergency services.
• Providers must alert the department to any media approach, channel responses through a nominated senior officer, and secure written authority within 24 hours to continue contact after verbal approval.
• Youth Justice Minister Laura Gerber defends the clauses as standard practice to safeguard service-user privacy, with wording shaped by Crown Law advice.
• Civil liberties groups, unions, Labor’s Di Farmer and Greens MP Michael Berkman label the measures a gag on advocacy and potential whistleblowing, and Sisters Inside urges NGOs to refuse to sign.
• Peak body QCOSS says enforcement has tightened and will meet department officials next week to seek changes to the contract terms.