Vic adult jail unit rebranded for youths

Human rights lawyers have labelled the Victorian government's decision to rebrand a unit in a maximum security adult prison to a youth justice facility as an "act of bad faith".

On Thursday the state government beat a court defined deadline to rehouse about 11 young offenders from Barwon Prison by rebranding the jail's Grevillea unit as a youth justice facility and remand centre.

The Friday deadline was imposed by the Court of Appeal, which upheld a finding the youths had been transferred to the prison's unit unlawfully due to a "jurisdictional error".

On Thursday Youth Affairs Minister Jenny Mikakos said the unit had been gazetted as a youth justice centre, establishing education and health services for young people there.

"Barwon Prison's Grevillea unit is safe, secure and is functioning appropriately as a youth justice and remand centre," she said in a statement.

The executive director of the Human Rights Law Centre, Hugh de Kretser, says the unit is unsuitable to house young people.

"It's an extraordinary act of bad faith to attempt once more to rebrand the state's most notorious adult prison as a youth justice facility," he told AAP.

"Barwon is manifestly unfit to house children and we'll be speaking to the children to assess their options shortly."

The government moved 40 teens after its Parkville Youth Justice Centre was damaged in riots in November.

Some were sent to the state's other youth justice facility in Malmsbury, while about 11 remain in the Grevillea unit.

The union that looks after staff at the youth justice centres said the uncertainty on where the Grevillea unit youths would go had created tensions at the other potential sites.

Community and Public Sector Union spokesman Julian Kennelly said that there weren't many beds left at Malmsbury.

"We've been receiving intel at Malmsbury in particular that as soon as offenders were returned there that Malmsbury would riot," Mr Kennelly said.

The union has welcomed the government's actions, saying it has brought "certainty back... ahead of the new year long weekend".

Ms Mikakos said the Parkville youth facility is undergoing urgent repairs and fortification works, but won't be ready for months.

The opposition is calling for Ms Mikakos' to be sacked over the "crisis".