❓ Albany MP asks why new prison units remain empty 21 weeks after opening, raising concerns about shower screens and net bed gain. Minister deflects, touting overall prison investment and refurbishment plans.
AnsweredQoN 853Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ALBANY REGIONAL PRISON — NEW PRISON UNITS
I draw the minister’s attention to the official opening of the new prison units at Albany Regional Prison, which I had the pleasure of attending, on Friday, 10 June 2011. (1) Given the new units were officially opened over 21 weeks ago, why are there still no prisoners in the facility? (2) Is it true that there is still a dispute about the installation of see-through shower screens in the cells; and, if so, why were they installed? (3) When this dispute is finally resolved and new cells are occupied, is it correct that the existing cells will close, supposedly for maintenance, and that there will be no net gain in the number of prison beds at the Albany facility? Mr D.T. REDMAN
I draw the minister’s attention to the official opening of the new prison units at Albany Regional Prison, which I had the pleasure of attending, on Friday, 10 June 2011. (1) Given the new units were officially opened over 21 weeks ago, why are there still no prisoners in the facility? (2) Is it true that there is still a dispute about the installation of see-through shower screens in the cells; and, if so, why were they installed? (3) When this dispute is finally resolved and new cells are occupied, is it correct that the existing cells will close, supposedly for maintenance, and that there will be no net gain in the number of prison beds at the Albany facility? Mr D.T. REDMAN
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Albany for the question. (1)–(4) It is great that he was in attendance to see just one of numerous examples of this government’s investment in the prison system of Western Australia. Mr P.B. Watson : You weren’t there! Mr D.T. REDMAN : The member is quite right; I was not there. I was probably opening another facility somewhere else in the state. A very similar question was asked by the member for Cockburn when he asked whether the government would be closing down any other units as a result of opening the fast-track service, with a total of 640 beds across Hakea Prison, Casuarina Prison and Albany Regional Prison, including 128 beds at Albany. The response to that question was, yes, we will be. We are not going to shut down all the units to open the new ones, but we will certainly have a staged process of closing the old units down to refurbish them. To answer the last part of the member’s question, the net gain is that we have an extra 640 beds in our prison system in Western Australia. We have built them, and the facility the member is talking about will be open by either the end of this year or the start of next year; I am running on memory now. The government has made the investment and put the facilities and beds in place. The member asked whether there will be a net gain; if we build beds, of course there will be a net gain. There are more cells in the system and more beds. It is an absolute furphy to ask whether there will be a net gain. There has been a $655 million capital works investment; what does that do? Of course there will be a change. The member should probably ask questions about the facility that was opened in Warburton and the work camp that was opened in Wyndham. This government is on track to make the most significant investment in the corrective services system of Western Australia in more than a decade. There is a net gain in prison cells; we have to track that in the out years, as all good governments do. That facility will not be open until either December this year or the start of next year; I acknowledge that. I also acknowledge the point that it is our goal to shut down some units to undertake some refurbishment, which will be carried out by the prisoners themselves, and that will reinforce their skills set and their opportunities within our prison system. It is great that the member for Albany was there to see the good work that this government is doing in corrective services.
(1) Given the new units were officially opened over 21 weeks ago, why are there still no prisoners in the facility? (2) Is it true that there is still a dispute about the installation of see-through shower screens in the cells; and, if so, why were they installed? (3) When this dispute is finally resolved and new cells are occupied, is it correct that the existing cells will close, supposedly for maintenance, and that there will be no net gain in the number of prison beds at the Albany facility? Mr D.T. REDMAN replied: I thank the member for Albany for the question. (1)–(4) It is great that he was in attendance to see just one of numerous examples of this government’s investment in the prison system of Western Australia. Mr P.B. Watson : You weren’t there! Mr D.T. REDMAN : The member is quite right; I was not there. I was probably opening another facility somewhere else in the state. A very similar question was asked by the member for Cockburn when he asked whether the government would be closing down any other units as a result of opening the fast-track service, with a total of 640 beds across Hakea Prison, Casuarina Prison and Albany Regional Prison, including 128 beds at Albany. The response to that question was, yes, we will be. We are not going to shut down all the units to open the new ones, but we will certainly have a staged process of closing the old units down to refurbish them. To answer the last part of the member’s question, the net gain is that we have an extra 640 beds in our prison system in Western Australia. We have built them, and the facility the member is talking about will be open by either the end of this year or the start of next year; I am running on memory now. The government has made the investment and put the facilities and beds in place. The member asked whether there will be a net gain; if we build beds, of course there will be a net gain. There are more cells in the system and more beds. It is an absolute furphy to ask whether there will be a net gain. There has been a $655 million capital works investment; what does that do? Of course there will be a change. The member should probably ask questions about the facility that was opened in Warburton and the work camp that was opened in Wyndham. This government is on track to make the most significant investment in the corrective services system of Western Australia in more than a decade. There is a net gain in prison cells; we have to track that in the out years, as all good governments do. That facility will not be open until either December this year or the start of next year; I acknowledge that. I also acknowledge the point that it is our goal to shut down some units to undertake some refurbishment, which will be carried out by the prisoners themselves, and that will reinforce their skills set and their opportunities within our prison system. It is great that the member for Albany was there to see the good work that this government is doing in corrective services.
(2) Is it true that there is still a dispute about the installation of see-through shower screens in the cells; and, if so, why were they installed? (3) When this dispute is finally resolved and new cells are occupied, is it correct that the existing cells will close, supposedly for maintenance, and that there will be no net gain in the number of prison beds at the Albany facility? Mr D.T. REDMAN replied: I thank the member for Albany for the question. (1)–(4) It is great that he was in attendance to see just one of numerous examples of this government’s investment in the prison system of Western Australia. Mr P.B. Watson : You weren’t there! Mr D.T. REDMAN : The member is quite right; I was not there. I was probably opening another facility somewhere else in the state. A very similar question was asked by the member for Cockburn when he asked whether the government would be closing down any other units as a result of opening the fast-track service, with a total of 640 beds across Hakea Prison, Casuarina Prison and Albany Regional Prison, including 128 beds at Albany. The response to that question was, yes, we will be. We are not going to shut down all the units to open the new ones, but we will certainly have a staged process of closing the old units down to refurbish them. To answer the last part of the member’s question, the net gain is that we have an extra 640 beds in our prison system in Western Australia. We have built them, and the facility the member is talking about will be open by either the end of this year or the start of next year; I am running on memory now. The government has made the investment and put the facilities and beds in place. The member asked whether there will be a net gain; if we build beds, of course there will be a net gain. There are more cells in the system and more beds. It is an absolute furphy to ask whether there will be a net gain. There has been a $655 million capital works investment; what does that do? Of course there will be a change. The member should probably ask questions about the facility that was opened in Warburton and the work camp that was opened in Wyndham. This government is on track to make the most significant investment in the corrective services system of Western Australia in more than a decade. There is a net gain in prison cells; we have to track that in the out years, as all good governments do. That facility will not be open until either December this year or the start of next year; I acknowledge that. I also acknowledge the point that it is our goal to shut down some units to undertake some refurbishment, which will be carried out by the prisoners themselves, and that will reinforce their skills set and their opportunities within our prison system. It is great that the member for Albany was there to see the good work that this government is doing in corrective services.
(3) When this dispute is finally resolved and new cells are occupied, is it correct that the existing cells will close, supposedly for maintenance, and that there will be no net gain in the number of prison beds at the Albany facility? Mr D.T. REDMAN replied: I thank the member for Albany for the question. (1)–(4) It is great that he was in attendance to see just one of numerous examples of this government’s investment in the prison system of Western Australia. Mr P.B. Watson : You weren’t there! Mr D.T. REDMAN : The member is quite right; I was not there. I was probably opening another facility somewhere else in the state. A very similar question was asked by the member for Cockburn when he asked whether the government would be closing down any other units as a result of opening the fast-track service, with a total of 640 beds across Hakea Prison, Casuarina Prison and Albany Regional Prison, including 128 beds at Albany. The response to that question was, yes, we will be. We are not going to shut down all the units to open the new ones, but we will certainly have a staged process of closing the old units down to refurbish them. To answer the last part of the member’s question, the net gain is that we have an extra 640 beds in our prison system in Western Australia. We have built them, and the facility the member is talking about will be open by either the end of this year or the start of next year; I am running on memory now. The government has made the investment and put the facilities and beds in place. The member asked whether there will be a net gain; if we build beds, of course there will be a net gain. There are more cells in the system and more beds. It is an absolute furphy to ask whether there will be a net gain. There has been a $655 million capital works investment; what does that do? Of course there will be a change. The member should probably ask questions about the facility that was opened in Warburton and the work camp that was opened in Wyndham. This government is on track to make the most significant investment in the corrective services system of Western Australia in more than a decade. There is a net gain in prison cells; we have to track that in the out years, as all good governments do. That facility will not be open until either December this year or the start of next year; I acknowledge that. I also acknowledge the point that it is our goal to shut down some units to undertake some refurbishment, which will be carried out by the prisoners themselves, and that will reinforce their skills set and their opportunities within our prison system. It is great that the member for Albany was there to see the good work that this government is doing in corrective services.
Mr D.T. REDMAN replied: I thank the member for Albany for the question. (1)–(4) It is great that he was in attendance to see just one of numerous examples of this government’s investment in the prison system of Western Australia. Mr P.B. Watson : You weren’t there! Mr D.T. REDMAN : The member is quite right; I was not there. I was probably opening another facility somewhere else in the state. A very similar question was asked by the member for Cockburn when he asked whether the government would be closing down any other units as a result of opening the fast-track service, with a total of 640 beds across Hakea Prison, Casuarina Prison and Albany Regional Prison, including 128 beds at Albany. The response to that question was, yes, we will be. We are not going to shut down all the units to open the new ones, but we will certainly have a staged process of closing the old units down to refurbish them. To answer the last part of the member’s question, the net gain is that we have an extra 640 beds in our prison system in Western Australia. We have built them, and the facility the member is talking about will be open by either the end of this year or the start of next year; I am running on memory now. The government has made the investment and put the facilities and beds in place. The member asked whether there will be a net gain; if we build beds, of course there will be a net gain. There are more cells in the system and more beds. It is an absolute furphy to ask whether there will be a net gain. There has been a $655 million capital works investment; what does that do? Of course there will be a change. The member should probably ask questions about the facility that was opened in Warburton and the work camp that was opened in Wyndham. This government is on track to make the most significant investment in the corrective services system of Western Australia in more than a decade. There is a net gain in prison cells; we have to track that in the out years, as all good governments do. That facility will not be open until either December this year or the start of next year; I acknowledge that. I also acknowledge the point that it is our goal to shut down some units to undertake some refurbishment, which will be carried out by the prisoners themselves, and that will reinforce their skills set and their opportunities within our prison system. It is great that the member for Albany was there to see the good work that this government is doing in corrective services.
I thank the member for Albany for the question. (1)–(4) It is great that he was in attendance to see just one of numerous examples of this government’s investment in the prison system of Western Australia. Mr P.B. Watson : You weren’t there! Mr D.T. REDMAN : The member is quite right; I was not there. I was probably opening another facility somewhere else in the state. A very similar question was asked by the member for Cockburn when he asked whether the government would be closing down any other units as a result of opening the fast-track service, with a total of 640 beds across Hakea Prison, Casuarina Prison and Albany Regional Prison, including 128 beds at Albany. The response to that question was, yes, we will be. We are not going to shut down all the units to open the new ones, but we will certainly have a staged process of closing the old units down to refurbish them. To answer the last part of the member’s question, the net gain is that we have an extra 640 beds in our prison system in Western Australia. We have built them, and the facility the member is talking about will be open by either the end of this year or the start of next year; I am running on memory now. The government has made the investment and put the facilities and beds in place. The member asked whether there will be a net gain; if we build beds, of course there will be a net gain. There are more cells in the system and more beds. It is an absolute furphy to ask whether there will be a net gain. There has been a $655 million capital works investment; what does that do? Of course there will be a change. The member should probably ask questions about the facility that was opened in Warburton and the work camp that was opened in Wyndham. This government is on track to make the most significant investment in the corrective services system of Western Australia in more than a decade. There is a net gain in prison cells; we have to track that in the out years, as all good governments do. That facility will not be open until either December this year or the start of next year; I acknowledge that. I also acknowledge the point that it is our goal to shut down some units to undertake some refurbishment, which will be carried out by the prisoners themselves, and that will reinforce their skills set and their opportunities within our prison system. It is great that the member for Albany was there to see the good work that this government is doing in corrective services.
(1)–(4) It is great that he was in attendance to see just one of numerous examples of this government’s investment in the prison system of Western Australia. Mr P.B. Watson : You weren’t there! Mr D.T. REDMAN : The member is quite right; I was not there. I was probably opening another facility somewhere else in the state. A very similar question was asked by the member for Cockburn when he asked whether the government would be closing down any other units as a result of opening the fast-track service, with a total of 640 beds across Hakea Prison, Casuarina Prison and Albany Regional Prison, including 128 beds at Albany. The response to that question was, yes, we will be. We are not going to shut down all the units to open the new ones, but we will certainly have a staged process of closing the old units down to refurbish them. To answer the last part of the member’s question, the net gain is that we have an extra 640 beds in our prison system in Western Australia. We have built them, and the facility the member is talking about will be open by either the end of this year or the start of next year; I am running on memory now. The government has made the investment and put the facilities and beds in place. The member asked whether there will be a net gain; if we build beds, of course there will be a net gain. There are more cells in the system and more beds. It is an absolute furphy to ask whether there will be a net gain. There has been a $655 million capital works investment; what does that do? Of course there will be a change. The member should probably ask questions about the facility that was opened in Warburton and the work camp that was opened in Wyndham. This government is on track to make the most significant investment in the corrective services system of Western Australia in more than a decade. There is a net gain in prison cells; we have to track that in the out years, as all good governments do. That facility will not be open until either December this year or the start of next year; I acknowledge that. I also acknowledge the point that it is our goal to shut down some units to undertake some refurbishment, which will be carried out by the prisoners themselves, and that will reinforce their skills set and their opportunities within our prison system. It is great that the member for Albany was there to see the good work that this government is doing in corrective services.
Mr P.B. Watson : You weren’t there! Mr D.T. REDMAN : The member is quite right; I was not there. I was probably opening another facility somewhere else in the state. A very similar question was asked by the member for Cockburn when he asked whether the government would be closing down any other units as a result of opening the fast-track service, with a total of 640 beds across Hakea Prison, Casuarina Prison and Albany Regional Prison, including 128 beds at Albany. The response to that question was, yes, we will be. We are not going to shut down all the units to open the new ones, but we will certainly have a staged process of closing the old units down to refurbish them. To answer the last part of the member’s question, the net gain is that we have an extra 640 beds in our prison system in Western Australia. We have built them, and the facility the member is talking about will be open by either the end of this year or the start of next year; I am running on memory now. The government has made the investment and put the facilities and beds in place. The member asked whether there will be a net gain; if we build beds, of course there will be a net gain. There are more cells in the system and more beds. It is an absolute furphy to ask whether there will be a net gain. There has been a $655 million capital works investment; what does that do? Of course there will be a change. The member should probably ask questions about the facility that was opened in Warburton and the work camp that was opened in Wyndham. This government is on track to make the most significant investment in the corrective services system of Western Australia in more than a decade. There is a net gain in prison cells; we have to track that in the out years, as all good governments do. That facility will not be open until either December this year or the start of next year; I acknowledge that. I also acknowledge the point that it is our goal to shut down some units to undertake some refurbishment, which will be carried out by the prisoners themselves, and that will reinforce their skills set and their opportunities within our prison system. It is great that the member for Albany was there to see the good work that this government is doing in corrective services.
Mr D.T. REDMAN : The member is quite right; I was not there. I was probably opening another facility somewhere else in the state. A very similar question was asked by the member for Cockburn when he asked whether the government would be closing down any other units as a result of opening the fast-track service, with a total of 640 beds across Hakea Prison, Casuarina Prison and Albany Regional Prison, including 128 beds at Albany. The response to that question was, yes, we will be. We are not going to shut down all the units to open the new ones, but we will certainly have a staged process of closing the old units down to refurbish them. To answer the last part of the member’s question, the net gain is that we have an extra 640 beds in our prison system in Western Australia. We have built them, and the facility the member is talking about will be open by either the end of this year or the start of next year; I am running on memory now. The government has made the investment and put the facilities and beds in place. The member asked whether there will be a net gain; if we build beds, of course there will be a net gain. There are more cells in the system and more beds. It is an absolute furphy to ask whether there will be a net gain. There has been a $655 million capital works investment; what does that do? Of course there will be a change. The member should probably ask questions about the facility that was opened in Warburton and the work camp that was opened in Wyndham. This government is on track to make the most significant investment in the corrective services system of Western Australia in more than a decade. There is a net gain in prison cells; we have to track that in the out years, as all good governments do. That facility will not be open until either December this year or the start of next year; I acknowledge that. I also acknowledge the point that it is our goal to shut down some units to undertake some refurbishment, which will be carried out by the prisoners themselves, and that will reinforce their skills set and their opportunities within our prison system. It is great that the member for Albany was there to see the good work that this government is doing in corrective services.
A very similar question was asked by the member for Cockburn when he asked whether the government would be closing down any other units as a result of opening the fast-track service, with a total of 640 beds across Hakea Prison, Casuarina Prison and Albany Regional Prison, including 128 beds at Albany. The response to that question was, yes, we will be. We are not going to shut down all the units to open the new ones, but we will certainly have a staged process of closing the old units down to refurbish them. To answer the last part of the member’s question, the net gain is that we have an extra 640 beds in our prison system in Western Australia. We have built them, and the facility the member is talking about will be open by either the end of this year or the start of next year; I am running on memory now. The government has made the investment and put the facilities and beds in place. The member asked whether there will be a net gain; if we build beds, of course there will be a net gain. There are more cells in the system and more beds. It is an absolute furphy to ask whether there will be a net gain. There has been a $655 million capital works investment; what does that do? Of course there will be a change. The member should probably ask questions about the facility that was opened in Warburton and the work camp that was opened in Wyndham. This government is on track to make the most significant investment in the corrective services system of Western Australia in more than a decade. There is a net gain in prison cells; we have to track that in the out years, as all good governments do. That facility will not be open until either December this year or the start of next year; I acknowledge that. I also acknowledge the point that it is our goal to shut down some units to undertake some refurbishment, which will be carried out by the prisoners themselves, and that will reinforce their skills set and their opportunities within our prison system. It is great that the member for Albany was there to see the good work that this government is doing in corrective services.
To answer the last part of the member’s question, the net gain is that we have an extra 640 beds in our prison system in Western Australia. We have built them, and the facility the member is talking about will be open by either the end of this year or the start of next year; I am running on memory now. The government has made the investment and put the facilities and beds in place. The member asked whether there will be a net gain; if we build beds, of course there will be a net gain. There are more cells in the system and more beds. It is an absolute furphy to ask whether there will be a net gain. There has been a $655 million capital works investment; what does that do? Of course there will be a change. The member should probably ask questions about the facility that was opened in Warburton and the work camp that was opened in Wyndham. This government is on track to make the most significant investment in the corrective services system of Western Australia in more than a decade. There is a net gain in prison cells; we have to track that in the out years, as all good governments do. That facility will not be open until either December this year or the start of next year; I acknowledge that. I also acknowledge the point that it is our goal to shut down some units to undertake some refurbishment, which will be carried out by the prisoners themselves, and that will reinforce their skills set and their opportunities within our prison system. It is great that the member for Albany was there to see the good work that this government is doing in corrective services.
This government is on track to make the most significant investment in the corrective services system of Western Australia in more than a decade. There is a net gain in prison cells; we have to track that in the out years, as all good governments do. That facility will not be open until either December this year or the start of next year; I acknowledge that. I also acknowledge the point that it is our goal to shut down some units to undertake some refurbishment, which will be carried out by the prisoners themselves, and that will reinforce their skills set and their opportunities within our prison system. It is great that the member for Albany was there to see the good work that this government is doing in corrective services.
(1) Given the new units were officially opened over 21 weeks ago, why are there still no prisoners in the facility? (2) Is it true that there is still a dispute about the installation of see-through shower screens in the cells; and, if so, why were they installed? (3) When this dispute is finally resolved and new cells are occupied, is it correct that the existing cells will close, supposedly for maintenance, and that there will be no net gain in the number of prison beds at the Albany facility? Mr D.T. REDMAN replied: I thank the member for Albany for the question. (1)–(4) It is great that he was in attendance to see just one of numerous examples of this government’s investment in the prison system of Western Australia. Mr P.B. Watson : You weren’t there! Mr D.T. REDMAN : The member is quite right; I was not there. I was probably opening another facility somewhere else in the state. A very similar question was asked by the member for Cockburn when he asked whether the government would be closing down any other units as a result of opening the fast-track service, with a total of 640 beds across Hakea Prison, Casuarina Prison and Albany Regional Prison, including 128 beds at Albany. The response to that question was, yes, we will be. We are not going to shut down all the units to open the new ones, but we will certainly have a staged process of closing the old units down to refurbish them. To answer the last part of the member’s question, the net gain is that we have an extra 640 beds in our prison system in Western Australia. We have built them, and the facility the member is talking about will be open by either the end of this year or the start of next year; I am running on memory now. The government has made the investment and put the facilities and beds in place. The member asked whether there will be a net gain; if we build beds, of course there will be a net gain. There are more cells in the system and more beds. It is an absolute furphy to ask whether there will be a net gain. There has been a $655 million capital works investment; what does that do? Of course there will be a change. The member should probably ask questions about the facility that was opened in Warburton and the work camp that was opened in Wyndham. This government is on track to make the most significant investment in the corrective services system of Western Australia in more than a decade. There is a net gain in prison cells; we have to track that in the out years, as all good governments do. That facility will not be open until either December this year or the start of next year; I acknowledge that. I also acknowledge the point that it is our goal to shut down some units to undertake some refurbishment, which will be carried out by the prisoners themselves, and that will reinforce their skills set and their opportunities within our prison system. It is great that the member for Albany was there to see the good work that this government is doing in corrective services.
(2) Is it true that there is still a dispute about the installation of see-through shower screens in the cells; and, if so, why were they installed? (3) When this dispute is finally resolved and new cells are occupied, is it correct that the existing cells will close, supposedly for maintenance, and that there will be no net gain in the number of prison beds at the Albany facility? Mr D.T. REDMAN replied: I thank the member for Albany for the question. (1)–(4) It is great that he was in attendance to see just one of numerous examples of this government’s investment in the prison system of Western Australia. Mr P.B. Watson : You weren’t there! Mr D.T. REDMAN : The member is quite right; I was not there. I was probably opening another facility somewhere else in the state. A very similar question was asked by the member for Cockburn when he asked whether the government would be closing down any other units as a result of opening the fast-track service, with a total of 640 beds across Hakea Prison, Casuarina Prison and Albany Regional Prison, including 128 beds at Albany. The response to that question was, yes, we will be. We are not going to shut down all the units to open the new ones, but we will certainly have a staged process of closing the old units down to refurbish them. To answer the last part of the member’s question, the net gain is that we have an extra 640 beds in our prison system in Western Australia. We have built them, and the facility the member is talking about will be open by either the end of this year or the start of next year; I am running on memory now. The government has made the investment and put the facilities and beds in place. The member asked whether there will be a net gain; if we build beds, of course there will be a net gain. There are more cells in the system and more beds. It is an absolute furphy to ask whether there will be a net gain. There has been a $655 million capital works investment; what does that do? Of course there will be a change. The member should probably ask questions about the facility that was opened in Warburton and the work camp that was opened in Wyndham. This government is on track to make the most significant investment in the corrective services system of Western Australia in more than a decade. There is a net gain in prison cells; we have to track that in the out years, as all good governments do. That facility will not be open until either December this year or the start of next year; I acknowledge that. I also acknowledge the point that it is our goal to shut down some units to undertake some refurbishment, which will be carried out by the prisoners themselves, and that will reinforce their skills set and their opportunities within our prison system. It is great that the member for Albany was there to see the good work that this government is doing in corrective services.
(3) When this dispute is finally resolved and new cells are occupied, is it correct that the existing cells will close, supposedly for maintenance, and that there will be no net gain in the number of prison beds at the Albany facility? Mr D.T. REDMAN replied: I thank the member for Albany for the question. (1)–(4) It is great that he was in attendance to see just one of numerous examples of this government’s investment in the prison system of Western Australia. Mr P.B. Watson : You weren’t there! Mr D.T. REDMAN : The member is quite right; I was not there. I was probably opening another facility somewhere else in the state. A very similar question was asked by the member for Cockburn when he asked whether the government would be closing down any other units as a result of opening the fast-track service, with a total of 640 beds across Hakea Prison, Casuarina Prison and Albany Regional Prison, including 128 beds at Albany. The response to that question was, yes, we will be. We are not going to shut down all the units to open the new ones, but we will certainly have a staged process of closing the old units down to refurbish them. To answer the last part of the member’s question, the net gain is that we have an extra 640 beds in our prison system in Western Australia. We have built them, and the facility the member is talking about will be open by either the end of this year or the start of next year; I am running on memory now. The government has made the investment and put the facilities and beds in place. The member asked whether there will be a net gain; if we build beds, of course there will be a net gain. There are more cells in the system and more beds. It is an absolute furphy to ask whether there will be a net gain. There has been a $655 million capital works investment; what does that do? Of course there will be a change. The member should probably ask questions about the facility that was opened in Warburton and the work camp that was opened in Wyndham. This government is on track to make the most significant investment in the corrective services system of Western Australia in more than a decade. There is a net gain in prison cells; we have to track that in the out years, as all good governments do. That facility will not be open until either December this year or the start of next year; I acknowledge that. I also acknowledge the point that it is our goal to shut down some units to undertake some refurbishment, which will be carried out by the prisoners themselves, and that will reinforce their skills set and their opportunities within our prison system. It is great that the member for Albany was there to see the good work that this government is doing in corrective services.
Mr D.T. REDMAN replied: I thank the member for Albany for the question. (1)–(4) It is great that he was in attendance to see just one of numerous examples of this government’s investment in the prison system of Western Australia. Mr P.B. Watson : You weren’t there! Mr D.T. REDMAN : The member is quite right; I was not there. I was probably opening another facility somewhere else in the state. A very similar question was asked by the member for Cockburn when he asked whether the government would be closing down any other units as a result of opening the fast-track service, with a total of 640 beds across Hakea Prison, Casuarina Prison and Albany Regional Prison, including 128 beds at Albany. The response to that question was, yes, we will be. We are not going to shut down all the units to open the new ones, but we will certainly have a staged process of closing the old units down to refurbish them. To answer the last part of the member’s question, the net gain is that we have an extra 640 beds in our prison system in Western Australia. We have built them, and the facility the member is talking about will be open by either the end of this year or the start of next year; I am running on memory now. The government has made the investment and put the facilities and beds in place. The member asked whether there will be a net gain; if we build beds, of course there will be a net gain. There are more cells in the system and more beds. It is an absolute furphy to ask whether there will be a net gain. There has been a $655 million capital works investment; what does that do? Of course there will be a change. The member should probably ask questions about the facility that was opened in Warburton and the work camp that was opened in Wyndham. This government is on track to make the most significant investment in the corrective services system of Western Australia in more than a decade. There is a net gain in prison cells; we have to track that in the out years, as all good governments do. That facility will not be open until either December this year or the start of next year; I acknowledge that. I also acknowledge the point that it is our goal to shut down some units to undertake some refurbishment, which will be carried out by the prisoners themselves, and that will reinforce their skills set and their opportunities within our prison system. It is great that the member for Albany was there to see the good work that this government is doing in corrective services.
I thank the member for Albany for the question. (1)–(4) It is great that he was in attendance to see just one of numerous examples of this government’s investment in the prison system of Western Australia. Mr P.B. Watson : You weren’t there! Mr D.T. REDMAN : The member is quite right; I was not there. I was probably opening another facility somewhere else in the state. A very similar question was asked by the member for Cockburn when he asked whether the government would be closing down any other units as a result of opening the fast-track service, with a total of 640 beds across Hakea Prison, Casuarina Prison and Albany Regional Prison, including 128 beds at Albany. The response to that question was, yes, we will be. We are not going to shut down all the units to open the new ones, but we will certainly have a staged process of closing the old units down to refurbish them. To answer the last part of the member’s question, the net gain is that we have an extra 640 beds in our prison system in Western Australia. We have built them, and the facility the member is talking about will be open by either the end of this year or the start of next year; I am running on memory now. The government has made the investment and put the facilities and beds in place. The member asked whether there will be a net gain; if we build beds, of course there will be a net gain. There are more cells in the system and more beds. It is an absolute furphy to ask whether there will be a net gain. There has been a $655 million capital works investment; what does that do? Of course there will be a change. The member should probably ask questions about the facility that was opened in Warburton and the work camp that was opened in Wyndham. This government is on track to make the most significant investment in the corrective services system of Western Australia in more than a decade. There is a net gain in prison cells; we have to track that in the out years, as all good governments do. That facility will not be open until either December this year or the start of next year; I acknowledge that. I also acknowledge the point that it is our goal to shut down some units to undertake some refurbishment, which will be carried out by the prisoners themselves, and that will reinforce their skills set and their opportunities within our prison system. It is great that the member for Albany was there to see the good work that this government is doing in corrective services.
(1)–(4) It is great that he was in attendance to see just one of numerous examples of this government’s investment in the prison system of Western Australia. Mr P.B. Watson : You weren’t there! Mr D.T. REDMAN : The member is quite right; I was not there. I was probably opening another facility somewhere else in the state. A very similar question was asked by the member for Cockburn when he asked whether the government would be closing down any other units as a result of opening the fast-track service, with a total of 640 beds across Hakea Prison, Casuarina Prison and Albany Regional Prison, including 128 beds at Albany. The response to that question was, yes, we will be. We are not going to shut down all the units to open the new ones, but we will certainly have a staged process of closing the old units down to refurbish them. To answer the last part of the member’s question, the net gain is that we have an extra 640 beds in our prison system in Western Australia. We have built them, and the facility the member is talking about will be open by either the end of this year or the start of next year; I am running on memory now. The government has made the investment and put the facilities and beds in place. The member asked whether there will be a net gain; if we build beds, of course there will be a net gain. There are more cells in the system and more beds. It is an absolute furphy to ask whether there will be a net gain. There has been a $655 million capital works investment; what does that do? Of course there will be a change. The member should probably ask questions about the facility that was opened in Warburton and the work camp that was opened in Wyndham. This government is on track to make the most significant investment in the corrective services system of Western Australia in more than a decade. There is a net gain in prison cells; we have to track that in the out years, as all good governments do. That facility will not be open until either December this year or the start of next year; I acknowledge that. I also acknowledge the point that it is our goal to shut down some units to undertake some refurbishment, which will be carried out by the prisoners themselves, and that will reinforce their skills set and their opportunities within our prison system. It is great that the member for Albany was there to see the good work that this government is doing in corrective services.
Mr P.B. Watson : You weren’t there! Mr D.T. REDMAN : The member is quite right; I was not there. I was probably opening another facility somewhere else in the state. A very similar question was asked by the member for Cockburn when he asked whether the government would be closing down any other units as a result of opening the fast-track service, with a total of 640 beds across Hakea Prison, Casuarina Prison and Albany Regional Prison, including 128 beds at Albany. The response to that question was, yes, we will be. We are not going to shut down all the units to open the new ones, but we will certainly have a staged process of closing the old units down to refurbish them. To answer the last part of the member’s question, the net gain is that we have an extra 640 beds in our prison system in Western Australia. We have built them, and the facility the member is talking about will be open by either the end of this year or the start of next year; I am running on memory now. The government has made the investment and put the facilities and beds in place. The member asked whether there will be a net gain; if we build beds, of course there will be a net gain. There are more cells in the system and more beds. It is an absolute furphy to ask whether there will be a net gain. There has been a $655 million capital works investment; what does that do? Of course there will be a change. The member should probably ask questions about the facility that was opened in Warburton and the work camp that was opened in Wyndham. This government is on track to make the most significant investment in the corrective services system of Western Australia in more than a decade. There is a net gain in prison cells; we have to track that in the out years, as all good governments do. That facility will not be open until either December this year or the start of next year; I acknowledge that. I also acknowledge the point that it is our goal to shut down some units to undertake some refurbishment, which will be carried out by the prisoners themselves, and that will reinforce their skills set and their opportunities within our prison system. It is great that the member for Albany was there to see the good work that this government is doing in corrective services.
Mr D.T. REDMAN : The member is quite right; I was not there. I was probably opening another facility somewhere else in the state. A very similar question was asked by the member for Cockburn when he asked whether the government would be closing down any other units as a result of opening the fast-track service, with a total of 640 beds across Hakea Prison, Casuarina Prison and Albany Regional Prison, including 128 beds at Albany. The response to that question was, yes, we will be. We are not going to shut down all the units to open the new ones, but we will certainly have a staged process of closing the old units down to refurbish them. To answer the last part of the member’s question, the net gain is that we have an extra 640 beds in our prison system in Western Australia. We have built them, and the facility the member is talking about will be open by either the end of this year or the start of next year; I am running on memory now. The government has made the investment and put the facilities and beds in place. The member asked whether there will be a net gain; if we build beds, of course there will be a net gain. There are more cells in the system and more beds. It is an absolute furphy to ask whether there will be a net gain. There has been a $655 million capital works investment; what does that do? Of course there will be a change. The member should probably ask questions about the facility that was opened in Warburton and the work camp that was opened in Wyndham. This government is on track to make the most significant investment in the corrective services system of Western Australia in more than a decade. There is a net gain in prison cells; we have to track that in the out years, as all good governments do. That facility will not be open until either December this year or the start of next year; I acknowledge that. I also acknowledge the point that it is our goal to shut down some units to undertake some refurbishment, which will be carried out by the prisoners themselves, and that will reinforce their skills set and their opportunities within our prison system. It is great that the member for Albany was there to see the good work that this government is doing in corrective services.
A very similar question was asked by the member for Cockburn when he asked whether the government would be closing down any other units as a result of opening the fast-track service, with a total of 640 beds across Hakea Prison, Casuarina Prison and Albany Regional Prison, including 128 beds at Albany. The response to that question was, yes, we will be. We are not going to shut down all the units to open the new ones, but we will certainly have a staged process of closing the old units down to refurbish them. To answer the last part of the member’s question, the net gain is that we have an extra 640 beds in our prison system in Western Australia. We have built them, and the facility the member is talking about will be open by either the end of this year or the start of next year; I am running on memory now. The government has made the investment and put the facilities and beds in place. The member asked whether there will be a net gain; if we build beds, of course there will be a net gain. There are more cells in the system and more beds. It is an absolute furphy to ask whether there will be a net gain. There has been a $655 million capital works investment; what does that do? Of course there will be a change. The member should probably ask questions about the facility that was opened in Warburton and the work camp that was opened in Wyndham. This government is on track to make the most significant investment in the corrective services system of Western Australia in more than a decade. There is a net gain in prison cells; we have to track that in the out years, as all good governments do. That facility will not be open until either December this year or the start of next year; I acknowledge that. I also acknowledge the point that it is our goal to shut down some units to undertake some refurbishment, which will be carried out by the prisoners themselves, and that will reinforce their skills set and their opportunities within our prison system. It is great that the member for Albany was there to see the good work that this government is doing in corrective services.
To answer the last part of the member’s question, the net gain is that we have an extra 640 beds in our prison system in Western Australia. We have built them, and the facility the member is talking about will be open by either the end of this year or the start of next year; I am running on memory now. The government has made the investment and put the facilities and beds in place. The member asked whether there will be a net gain; if we build beds, of course there will be a net gain. There are more cells in the system and more beds. It is an absolute furphy to ask whether there will be a net gain. There has been a $655 million capital works investment; what does that do? Of course there will be a change. The member should probably ask questions about the facility that was opened in Warburton and the work camp that was opened in Wyndham. This government is on track to make the most significant investment in the corrective services system of Western Australia in more than a decade. There is a net gain in prison cells; we have to track that in the out years, as all good governments do. That facility will not be open until either December this year or the start of next year; I acknowledge that. I also acknowledge the point that it is our goal to shut down some units to undertake some refurbishment, which will be carried out by the prisoners themselves, and that will reinforce their skills set and their opportunities within our prison system. It is great that the member for Albany was there to see the good work that this government is doing in corrective services.
This government is on track to make the most significant investment in the corrective services system of Western Australia in more than a decade. There is a net gain in prison cells; we have to track that in the out years, as all good governments do. That facility will not be open until either December this year or the start of next year; I acknowledge that. I also acknowledge the point that it is our goal to shut down some units to undertake some refurbishment, which will be carried out by the prisoners themselves, and that will reinforce their skills set and their opportunities within our prison system. It is great that the member for Albany was there to see the good work that this government is doing in corrective services.
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