More than two and a half years after the former state government closed Queensland's then only live-in adolescent mental health facility, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced a replacement for Wacol's Barrett Adolescent Centre to be built in the grounds of the Prince Charles Hospital.
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The "new Barrett" will begin as "12 to 15 bed facility" and offer education and counselling services with the ability for teenagers to stay at the centre and possibly progress to attend nearby schools.
"Today begins a brand new chapter for young people with complex and severe mental health issues," Ms Palaszczuk said.
The still-to-be-designed centre is close to public transport, schools, the hospital's mental health unit, the hospital's heliport and close to Brisbane Airport.
"So it is situated in a really good place," the Premier said.
Standing beside Premier Palaszczuk was Jeannine Kimber, representing the parents of troubled teenagers with complex mental illnesses.
Those parents fought since March 2012 against plans by the LNP to close the Barrett Centre before a replacement centre was built.
Three teenagers who were patients at the Barrett Centre committed suicide after it was closed.
Ms Kimber said she was finally "very excited" that a new specialist centre was now being built.
"It will also be fully integrated into the other mental health services here in Queensland," she said.
"It will be a statewide service and the families are very keen to promote any support it can to regional Queensland.
"That's definitely a focus for us."
She said other mental health services for young people do not cater for the level of illness that is required.
She nominated education at the new centre as critical to young people's recovery from mental illness.
"So it will be a very holistic approach," she said.
"The young people will be able to complete their educational and vocational pursuits as well as getting treatment for their mental health problems."
A business case will be finished by April 2017, expressions of interest will be called and construction will begin in the second half of 2017.
Ms Palaszczuk confirmed the centre would have educational services and support staff.
Health Minister Cameron Dick acknowledged the issue had been championed by the Premier "in Opposition and in Government."
"And the reason we are here today to announce this new facility is because of leadership of the Premier, and I want to acknowledge that."
Mr Dick said the families of former Barrett Centre patients were helping design the new centre through a steering committee.
"And they will remain central to our work as we develop the new facility," Mr Dick said.
"The construction of this new facility rights a terrible wrong," Mr Dick said.
"The Barrett Adolescent Centre should never ever have been closed by the Newman LNP government without a replacement facility."
As Fairfax Media reported in mid-2014 after after the Barrett Centre was closed, replacement facilities were planned, but were not funded or built.
That was the main finding of Justice Wilson's Commission of Inquiry.
"So today we right that wrong," Mr Dick said.
The new centre will be built on an existing car park near the hospital's heliport.
Mr Dick promised replacements for the 340 car parks will be found as part of building the new adolescent mental health care centre.
"That is a clear message I am sending to Prince Charles staff today," he said.
"We will replace those car parks."
One of the recommendations of the July 2016 Commission of Inquiry into the decision to close the original Barrett Centre was to find a replacement facility as quickly as possible.
Queensland Health staff will be invited to work at the centre, before open applications are accepted, Mr Dick said.
