❓ Opposition questions Minister for Corrective Services about overcrowding and underfunding at Hakea Prison. Minister deflects blame to previous government, highlighting their inaction and outlining current government's efforts to increase prison capacity.
AnsweredQoN 254Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
HAKEA PRISON —
OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR OF CUSTODIAL SERVICES REPORT
254. Mr Z.R.F. KIRKUP to the Minister for Corrective
Services:
Before I ask my question, on behalf
of the opposition, I would like to pass on our condolences to the family and
friends of Lady Doris Brand, who passed away on 2 April.
I refer to the recent Office of the
Inspector of Custodial Services report into Hakea Prison that, once again,
shows that this government is failing to take the security of our state's
prisons seriously, with chronic overcrowding and underfunded prison officers.
(1) When is the
minister finally going to take responsibility for the fact that under his watch
he has seen a rising prison population and the broader Western Australian community
put at continued risk?
(2) Can the
minister outline to the house what his plan is to deal with Hakea and the
prison system more broadly, or will he continue to just blame the former
government?
OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR OF CUSTODIAL SERVICES REPORT
254. Mr Z.R.F. KIRKUP to the Minister for Corrective
Services:
Before I ask my question, on behalf
of the opposition, I would like to pass on our condolences to the family and
friends of Lady Doris Brand, who passed away on 2 April.
I refer to the recent Office of the
Inspector of Custodial Services report into Hakea Prison that, once again,
shows that this government is failing to take the security of our state's
prisons seriously, with chronic overcrowding and underfunded prison officers.
(1) When is the
minister finally going to take responsibility for the fact that under his watch
he has seen a rising prison population and the broader Western Australian community
put at continued risk?
(2) Can the
minister outline to the house what his plan is to deal with Hakea and the
prison system more broadly, or will he continue to just blame the former
government?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for the question. I am glad he has got around to reading the
report. This report was just released on Tuesday. It follows on from the 2015
inspection of Hakea Prison by the Office of the Inspector of Custodial
Services, the report that was printed in June 2016. It is worthwhile going back
to read the 2016 report. I quote from its conclusion —
�
Hakea is a prison under enormous stress and pressure. We see little on the
horizon to suggest that this situation is likely to change anytime soon.
The total prison population is rising at an alarming rate � 66% in total
population over the past nine years� and �129% in the same period�
That
was in June 2016. The Inspector of Custodial Services then went on to summarise
his key findings, including —
1.26 Hakea was
facing many challenges and it was a time of great uncertainty. Past
opportunities for capital developments had been lost and its newest two units
were excised as part of a new women's facility.
The member for Dawesville points to
the current report by the Inspector of Custodial Services, which refers to it
being an older prison that is crowded. The services are under a bit of strain
there. He is absolutely right. They were under strain in 2015 at his last
inspection, and what was the response from the Liberal–National
government at the time? It took the two brand-new units that were built to deal
with the expansion, turned them into female units and privatised them. The
former Liberal–National government never dealt with the crowding
issues. It never dealt with all the other aspects inside Hakea. It had a grand
opportunity when it literally had more money than it knew what to do with.
Between 2013 and 2017, it did not put one cent into the prison system—not
one cent. The former Liberal–National government took the two units
that were built for Hakea to deal with the expansion when Christian Porter was
the Minister for Corrective Services, turned them into a female unit, and
privatised it. That is all it did.
The member comes in here
and asks, ''What are you doing, minister? It's been two years
and what are you doing?'' I will tell the member what we are doing. We
have already been through this over and again, but the member for Dawesville
fails to comprehend it. In the first budget, we expanded the number of prison
beds by 212 beds. In the second budget, we announced the building—it
will be completed by the end of this year—of 160 new beds at Bunbury
Regional Prison. We talked about the expansion of Casuarina Prison with 512 new
beds; the first two units will be finished at the end of this year. The next
two units will be opened in April next year. We talked about reopening the 45
beds that the former Liberal–National government closed down outside
Bunbury. We fixed up Broome Regional Prison. We fixed up a whole series of
things across the prison system. The total number of new beds that will have
been put in place by our government by the end of this year is nearly 900 new
beds.
Several members interjected.
Mr D.A. Templeman interjected.
Ms R. Saffioti : I am in the
stands, catching the ball.
The SPEAKER : Well, I think
both of you dropped the ball! I call the Minister for Local Government and the
Minister for Transport to order for the first time. I am sure that the minister
is getting very close to the end.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : We will have
900 new beds. That will help Hakea with the pressure that it is under, and that
is what it was always aimed to do. All the former government did between 2013 and
2017 was promise a new prison. Does the Leader of the Opposition remember that?
The former government promised a new prison. There was no money there and that
government never delivered.
thank the member for the question. I am glad he has got around to reading the
report. This report was just released on Tuesday. It follows on from the 2015
inspection of Hakea Prison by the Office of the Inspector of Custodial
Services, the report that was printed in June 2016. It is worthwhile going back
to read the 2016 report. I quote from its conclusion —
�
Hakea is a prison under enormous stress and pressure. We see little on the
horizon to suggest that this situation is likely to change anytime soon.
The total prison population is rising at an alarming rate � 66% in total
population over the past nine years� and �129% in the same period�
That
was in June 2016. The Inspector of Custodial Services then went on to summarise
his key findings, including —
1.26 Hakea was
facing many challenges and it was a time of great uncertainty. Past
opportunities for capital developments had been lost and its newest two units
were excised as part of a new women's facility.
The member for Dawesville points to
the current report by the Inspector of Custodial Services, which refers to it
being an older prison that is crowded. The services are under a bit of strain
there. He is absolutely right. They were under strain in 2015 at his last
inspection, and what was the response from the Liberal–National
government at the time? It took the two brand-new units that were built to deal
with the expansion, turned them into female units and privatised them. The
former Liberal–National government never dealt with the crowding
issues. It never dealt with all the other aspects inside Hakea. It had a grand
opportunity when it literally had more money than it knew what to do with.
Between 2013 and 2017, it did not put one cent into the prison system—not
one cent. The former Liberal–National government took the two units
that were built for Hakea to deal with the expansion when Christian Porter was
the Minister for Corrective Services, turned them into a female unit, and
privatised it. That is all it did.
The member comes in here
and asks, ''What are you doing, minister? It's been two years
and what are you doing?'' I will tell the member what we are doing. We
have already been through this over and again, but the member for Dawesville
fails to comprehend it. In the first budget, we expanded the number of prison
beds by 212 beds. In the second budget, we announced the building—it
will be completed by the end of this year—of 160 new beds at Bunbury
Regional Prison. We talked about the expansion of Casuarina Prison with 512 new
beds; the first two units will be finished at the end of this year. The next
two units will be opened in April next year. We talked about reopening the 45
beds that the former Liberal–National government closed down outside
Bunbury. We fixed up Broome Regional Prison. We fixed up a whole series of
things across the prison system. The total number of new beds that will have
been put in place by our government by the end of this year is nearly 900 new
beds.
Several members interjected.
Mr D.A. Templeman interjected.
Ms R. Saffioti : I am in the
stands, catching the ball.
The SPEAKER : Well, I think
both of you dropped the ball! I call the Minister for Local Government and the
Minister for Transport to order for the first time. I am sure that the minister
is getting very close to the end.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : We will have
900 new beds. That will help Hakea with the pressure that it is under, and that
is what it was always aimed to do. All the former government did between 2013 and
2017 was promise a new prison. Does the Leader of the Opposition remember that?
The former government promised a new prison. There was no money there and that
government never delivered.
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