Tasmanians who were abused as children in the notorious Ashley youth detention centre have reached an in-principle agreement to settle their class action with the state government for $75 million, their lawyer says.
The class action, which was filed in the Supreme Court in 2022, involved 129 former detainees who were at the facility between 1960 and 2023.
It was alleged they suffered, witnessed or were threatened with sexual abuse, serious physical abuse and false imprisonment.
"The compensation will be a tangible acknowledgement of the wrongdoing," lawyer Angela Sdrinis, who led the class action, said.
"And that's really, really important to survivors, to have the government say, 'We've heard your story. We believe you.'"
The detention centre, which was previously known as the Ashley Home for Boys, was a key focus of the 2023 commission of inquiry into abuse in Tasmanian government-run institutions.
The controversial facility, located in Deloraine, has been variously described as a "gladiator pit", a "war zone" and a "kindergarten for the adult prison".
Ms Sdrinis said some of the claimants were as young as 11 when they first entered the facility.
"[It was] pretty daunting to hear a client tell you they arrive at Ashley age 12.
"They're strip searched, sometimes including cavity searches, sometimes in front of a number of guards, sometimes in front of other detainees.
"They have scabies cream applied to their naked bodies, and then they're thrown into isolation, for some of them more than a day at a time."
Ms Sdrinis said some of the former detainees were subjected to abuse from multiple perpetrators who worked at the centre.
"Many of them went into Ashley already damaged. Unfortunately, many of them came out of Ashley completely crushed."
Ms Sdrinis said the government had been "pro-active" in reaching a prompt in-principle resolution in a trauma informed way.
"I am pleased that the matter has resolved in principle and that we have been able to give our clients a voice.
"The government lawyers were provided with details of the allegations and impacts on each member of the class and I am satisfied that they were heard.
"I believe that our clients will be happy with the outcome."
The settlement is still subject to final approval from the court, which could take a further six months.
Ms Sdrinis said she expected all claims to be resolved and paid within the next year.
She said clients will be offered financial counselling.
The commission of inquiry's final report, which was released in September last year, said child sexual abuse at Ashley "remains a live and current risk".
The government had previously promised to close the facility by the end of this year, but is now planning to do so by mid-2026.
The ABC has approached the Tasmanian government for comment.