Dylan Voller Explained

Dylan Voller is an Aboriginal-Australian man who came to public attention after his detainment in a youth detention center in the Northern Territory was documented on a July 2016 episode of the ABC TV program Four Corners.

Early life

Beginning at age 11 Voller was sent to youth detention multiple times, including for car theft, robbery and assault. He spent time at Don Dale Youth Detention Centre in Darwin, Alice Springs Youth Detention Centre[1] and, aged 17, at Alice Springs adult prison. At various points between 2010 and 2015, Voller was mistreated by youth detention staff, being restrained by the neck, physically thrown into his cell, held in isolation, stripped naked and tear gassed.[2]

Royal Commission

Footage of Voller shackled to a restraining chair within the adult Alice Springs correctional center was featured on the ABC TV program Four Corners' episode "Australia's Shame" in July 2016.[3] It prompted Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to announce a royal commission into the treatment of youth in the child protection and youth detention systems in the Northern Territory.[4] Mistreatment in youth detention had been widely reported prior to the Four Corners report.[5] [6] [7]

He has publicly apologised for his crimes.[8]

Voller gave limited evidence at the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory in December 2016.[9]

He was released from prison in February 2017[10] and has been advocating for improved conditions for youth in detention.[11]

In 2017 it was discovered that Voller's confidential files were dumped at the Alice Springs rubbish tip.[12] Footage of Voller was posted on Facebook on a Fairfax media account and derogatory comments were made on the post by others.[13] [14] Voller subsequently sued Fairfax media for defamation.[15] [14] Social Media Consultant Ryan Shelley testified as an expert witness and illustrated that it was within Fairfax media's power to remove the defamatory comments.[13] [16] The Judge ruled that Fairfax media's failure to remove the comments was grounds to hold Fairfax liable for defamation.[14] [17]

In September 2021, the Australian High Court ruled that media companies could be held liable for allegedly defamatory material posted to their social media pages.[18] Voller's case returned to the lower court for determination. This area of law is currently being reviewed by the Attorneys-General of the Federal government and each State and Territory.[19] In response to the decision in Voller's case, the Federal Government has drafted the Social Media (Anti-Trolling) Bill. Which if enacted will clarify defamation law within the context of social media.[20]

Later life

In 2019, the 21 year old Voller plead guilty to staging a bomb hoax at the Commonwealth Games marathon in Gold Coast.[21] On 1 February 2020 Voller was sentenced to a 10-month prison sentence due to an incident in which he jumped on railway tracks, exposed his penis and assaulted a transit guard in Western Australia.[22] Voller also had a warrant issued for his arrest by the Deniliquin Local Court in NSW on 19 June 2020 in relation to an armed robbery that occurred in Moama, NSW in May 2019.[23]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Possible human rights breaches to be in NT royal commission's sights. Doran. Matthew. Stephanie. 2016-07-28. ABC News. en-AU. 2019-01-25. Anderson.
  2. News: Dylan Voller: Timeline of teenager's mistreatment in NT youth detention. 7 July 2017. ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 27 July 2016.
  3. News: Meldrum-Hanna. Caro. Fallon. Mary. Worthington. Elise. AUSTRALIA'S SHAME. 7 July 2017. Four Corners. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 26 July 2016.
  4. News: Karp. Paul. Malcolm Turnbull announces royal commission into Northern Territory detention. 7 July 2017. The Guardian. 26 July 2016.
  5. News: Wild. Kate. The NT has known about mistreatment of juveniles for years. So why has nothing happened?. 7 July 2017. ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 27 July 2016.
  6. News: Wild. Kate. Cable ties, restraint chairs to be used on children in custody if new NT laws pass. 7 July 2017. ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
  7. News: Wild. Kate. NT prisons 'aren't necessarily pleasant places', Minister says, as human rights lawyer condemns hooding of 17yo detainee. 7 July 2017. ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 13 November 2015.
  8. News: Four Corners: Dylan Voller releases letter apologising for crimes, thanking community for support. 7 July 2017. ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 27 July 2016.
  9. News: Vanovac. Neda. Dylan Voller gives evidence before NT royal commission, says he felt like he was 'going to die'. 7 July 2017. ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 12 December 2016.
  10. News: Bardon. Jane. Dylan Voller, former Don Dale youth detainee, granted early release from prison. 7 July 2017. ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2 February 2017.
  11. News: Aikman. Amos. Dylan Voller leads protest at juvenile justice royal commission. 7 July 2017. The Australian. 13 March 2017.
  12. News: Sinclair. Corey. Dylan Voller angry after confidential files dumped at Alice Springs tip shop. 7 July 2017. NT News. 5 July 2017.
  13. Web site: 2019-06-24. Dylan Voller has court win over media giants. 2021-05-11. www.abc.net.au. en-AU.
  14. Web site: 2020-06-01. Media giants lose key appeal in Dylan Voller defamation case. 2021-05-11. www.abc.net.au. en-AU.
  15. Web site: Schofield. Samantha. 2019-07-11. Voller defamation case highlights law's struggle to keep pace in digital age, says ANU Law expert. 2021-05-11. ANU College of Law. en.
  16. Web site: Ryan Shelley Expert witness in Social Media defamation court case. 2021-05-11. pepperit. en-AU.
  17. Ricardo Goncalves. Former Northern Territory Youth Detainee Dylan Voller Has Won the First Round of His Defamation Case after a Judge Ruled Media Companies Are Liable for Postings Made on Their Facebook Pages. N.p., 2019. Film.
  18. News: Karp. Paul. High court rules Australian media companies can be liable for defamatory comments posted on Facebook pages. 8 September 2021. ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 8 September 2021.
  19. Web site: Review of Model Defamation Provisions. www.justice.nsw.gov.au/. en-AU. 2021-10-15.
  20. Web site: Exposure Draft of the Social Media (Anti-Trolling) Bill 2021. 2022-01-07. Attorney-General's Department. en.
  21. Web site: Dylan Voller pleads guilty to making Commonwealth Games marathon bomb hoax - ABC News. 2019-05-22. www.abc.net.au. en-AU. 2020-05-08.
  22. Web site: WA magistrate tells Dylan Voller to stop blaming others for offending after sentencing him to 10 months in prison for rail station offences The West Australian.
  23. Web site: Dylan Voller still wanted over Moama armed robbery.

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