❓ Mr Zempilas questions the Minister for Corrective Services' suitability for his role, prompting the Minister to defend his position by citing unprecedented prison population growth due to COVID-19 impacts, increased focus on family and domestic violence, and judicial conservatism, alongside outlining current and planned infrastructure, recruitment, and justice reform initiatives.
AnsweredQoN 305Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Corrective Services—Prisons
305. Mr Basil Zempilas to
the Minister for Corrective Services:
I have a
supplementary question. Why should the minister's cabinet and caucus colleagues
have any confidence that he is still the right person for the job?
305. Mr Basil Zempilas to
the Minister for Corrective Services:
I have a
supplementary question. Why should the minister's cabinet and caucus colleagues
have any confidence that he is still the right person for the job?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for
his question. Member, as I have said in this place on a number of occasions the
prison population in Western Australia is experiencing an extraordinary and—actually
often-used word but in this case absolutely appropriate—unprecedented period of
growth that has occurred since COVID. During COVID, there were two years of
diminishing prison populations due to excellent policing and the fact that we
were so well protected in this state by the leadership of the government of the
day. There was a massive reduction in methamphetamine use in the state, which
had a corresponding reduction in crime. For two years that occurred. Since then,
there has been, about the same time as we came out of COVID, an increased and
appropriate focus on reducing family and domestic violence in Western
Australia, actually well beyond any other jurisdiction in the country. As a
result, we have seen the most robust laws to tackle that challenge. We have
also seen increased conservatism in the courts in response to applying the
laws, but also regularly remanding people to custody on occasions, when in the
past that might not have occurred, because they have erred on the side of
safety. We have also seen an absolutely stellar performance by the Western
Australia Police Force, leading the nation in its response to family and
domestic violence cases and doing some exceptional training of new recruits and
rolling that out further afield to all operational police in Western Australia.
I know; I witnessed it when it happened. It was incredible to witness, to
watch, and it had a direct impact on the number of interventions for family and
domestic violence cases. All that has meant there has been a huge rise in
remand. The three prisons the member referred to are remand prisons at the
moment, because Casuarina Prison did not house, but now does as a consequence
of the massive growth, a significant number of remand prisoners, so those are
challenges.
With respect to the
member's questions—
Mr Lachlan Hunter: Sounds like a lot of
excuses.
Mr Paul Papalia: With respect to the member's
questions—wait for it! With respect to the member's questions, there is $60 million
in the budget this year for infrastructure, with hundreds of millions of
dollars in the forward estimates to grow infrastructure. We are recruiting 400
prison officers a year. The academy is at—
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
The Speaker: Leader of the Opposition!
Mr Paul Papalia: The prison officers' Corrective
Services Academy is at capacity, so it cannot be expanded anymore. We are getting
more prison officers being recruited, and finally there is a justice reform
initiative, which is again funded in the budget, that identifies opportunities
in the courts, but also in advance of the courts to—
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Mr Paul Papalia: —filter people who might otherwise
end up in remand then going to occupy those beds in the prisons to which the
member referred, who may be handled in other ways, with other measures, where
they can be kept safely in other locations or, alternatively, treated in a
different manner. Those three things are underway and they are all funded.
his question. Member, as I have said in this place on a number of occasions the
prison population in Western Australia is experiencing an extraordinary and—actually
often-used word but in this case absolutely appropriate—unprecedented period of
growth that has occurred since COVID. During COVID, there were two years of
diminishing prison populations due to excellent policing and the fact that we
were so well protected in this state by the leadership of the government of the
day. There was a massive reduction in methamphetamine use in the state, which
had a corresponding reduction in crime. For two years that occurred. Since then,
there has been, about the same time as we came out of COVID, an increased and
appropriate focus on reducing family and domestic violence in Western
Australia, actually well beyond any other jurisdiction in the country. As a
result, we have seen the most robust laws to tackle that challenge. We have
also seen increased conservatism in the courts in response to applying the
laws, but also regularly remanding people to custody on occasions, when in the
past that might not have occurred, because they have erred on the side of
safety. We have also seen an absolutely stellar performance by the Western
Australia Police Force, leading the nation in its response to family and
domestic violence cases and doing some exceptional training of new recruits and
rolling that out further afield to all operational police in Western Australia.
I know; I witnessed it when it happened. It was incredible to witness, to
watch, and it had a direct impact on the number of interventions for family and
domestic violence cases. All that has meant there has been a huge rise in
remand. The three prisons the member referred to are remand prisons at the
moment, because Casuarina Prison did not house, but now does as a consequence
of the massive growth, a significant number of remand prisoners, so those are
challenges.
With respect to the
member's questions—
Mr Lachlan Hunter: Sounds like a lot of
excuses.
Mr Paul Papalia: With respect to the member's
questions—wait for it! With respect to the member's questions, there is $60 million
in the budget this year for infrastructure, with hundreds of millions of
dollars in the forward estimates to grow infrastructure. We are recruiting 400
prison officers a year. The academy is at—
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
The Speaker: Leader of the Opposition!
Mr Paul Papalia: The prison officers' Corrective
Services Academy is at capacity, so it cannot be expanded anymore. We are getting
more prison officers being recruited, and finally there is a justice reform
initiative, which is again funded in the budget, that identifies opportunities
in the courts, but also in advance of the courts to—
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Mr Paul Papalia: —filter people who might otherwise
end up in remand then going to occupy those beds in the prisons to which the
member referred, who may be handled in other ways, with other measures, where
they can be kept safely in other locations or, alternatively, treated in a
different manner. Those three things are underway and they are all funded.
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