❓ Mr. Francis raises concerns about a letter circulating in his and Riverton's electorates regarding the new Murdoch young adults facility. Minister Redman defends the facility's purpose, refuting claims of it being a dangerous prison and highlighting its focus on rehabilitation.
AnsweredQoN 59Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CORRECTIVE
SERVICES — YOUNG ADULTS FACILITY, MURDOCH
59. Mr J.M. FRANCIS to the Minister for Corrective
Services:
Minister, it has come to my
attention that, along with other pieces of junk mail, some people in my
electorate and in the electorate of the member for Riverton have received an
open letter to the Premier and to the Attorney General relating to the young
adults facility that is soon to open in Murdoch. Can the minister please
explain to the house whether there is any substance to the claims made in this
letter and what the government is doing to continue our strong focus on law and
order?
SERVICES — YOUNG ADULTS FACILITY, MURDOCH
59. Mr J.M. FRANCIS to the Minister for Corrective
Services:
Minister, it has come to my
attention that, along with other pieces of junk mail, some people in my
electorate and in the electorate of the member for Riverton have received an
open letter to the Premier and to the Attorney General relating to the young
adults facility that is soon to open in Murdoch. Can the minister please
explain to the house whether there is any substance to the claims made in this
letter and what the government is doing to continue our strong focus on law and
order?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Jandakot for
the question.
He is quite right in saying that an
open letter has been sent to a number of people in his electorate and others;
at best, the letter is misleading. I think it is important to highlight the
things that are misleading, and to highlight for the community that in fact we
do not want to see these sorts of things out there in the community raising a
level of angst and stirring up a level of fear in the community when in fact
that should not be the case.
Mr
F.M. Logan : The letter was sent to the Attorney General.
Mr
D.T. REDMAN : As it relates to Corrective Services, shadow minister, I think
it is appropriate that the corrective services minister responds.
Just to cite a couple of the points, I will read from the
letter. The letter is about the young adults facility, which is the facility
that is going in. It will have 80 beds, and it will have specialist provision
for 18 to 24-year-olds who may have had a little misdemeanour that, sadly, has
resulted in them receiving a term of imprisonment. It is a chance to put a
specialist focus on their rehabilitation to enable their transition back into
the community. This is something very, very different; it is something Western
Australia is doing, and I think it is something we should be rightly very proud
of. The letter states —
Originally this facility was planned
for young non-violent offenders, but without talking to the community, the
government has changed it to a fully-fledged prison where teenagers will mix
with experienced prisoners up to 24 years old.
Mr
F.M. Logan : That is true.
Mr
D.T. REDMAN : No, it is not—no!
Mr
F.M. Logan : That is true; your previous government —
The
SPEAKER : Member for Cockburn!
Mr
F.M. Logan : There was never going to be a prison!
The
SPEAKER : Member for Cockburn, I formally call you to order for the first
time today.
Mr
D.T. REDMAN : This facility is going to have a very specialist focus, and it
is going to take a different approach to dealing with those who sadly finish up
in prison, and hopefully help those young people—which is a cohort that
is quite highly represented within our prison system—focus on
education, programs and transitioning back into the community. I think it is
misleading to stir up the community —
Mr
F.M. Logan : Tell them how it's going to be a prison.
Mr
D.T. REDMAN : At the end of the day it is a prison, because these people
will be prisoners.
Mr
F.M. Logan : That's right!
Mr
D.T. REDMAN : Mr Speaker, something that holds prisoners is a prison!
The letter also went on to say that
there had been escapes from facilities under their—that is, Serco's—watch.
We must remember that it was the Labor Party that reinstated the contract for
Serco to play a part in Acacia Prison in Western Australia. That prison has
been highlighted by the Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services as one of
the best-run prisons in the state. I assume that the opposition is saying that it
does not support the letter from the union. Is that the case?
Mr
F.M. Logan : I haven't read it.
Mr D.T. REDMAN :
The member has not read it. When it is signed by the secretary of the Prison
Officers Union and secretary of the Community and Public Sector Union–Civil
Service Association of WA, one would think that it carries the support of the
Labor Party.
Several members interjected.
Mr D.T. REDMAN : Is
that a bad assumption? That is the wrong assumption?
This highlights —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : I do
not want to keep getting to my feet, members. I would like to hear the
minister, and other people in this place would like to hear the minister.
Mr D.T. REDMAN :
This letter, at best, tries to —
Mr P. Papalia interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Warnbro, I formally call you to order for the first time today.
Mr D.T. REDMAN :
This letter, at best, tries to misinform the community about the intention of
the new young adults' facility, which is a very innovative idea that
has been put in place in Western Australia. It is unique and targeted. The
letter highlights that by doing this, we will in some way threaten the
community. This is a very specific group of people who are highly represented
within the prison community. We are focused on how we will respond to that, and
to say that we are not able to protect the community is an absolute furphy. The
focus here is on privatisation, something that the Labor Party did when it was
in government. We have no notion of privatising everything in sight across the
prison system; in fact, the two regional prisons that have been built will be
managed within the public system by the Department of Corrective Services. Yes,
this will be run by Serco, but that is something that is not entirely foreign
to the opposition.
the question.
He is quite right in saying that an
open letter has been sent to a number of people in his electorate and others;
at best, the letter is misleading. I think it is important to highlight the
things that are misleading, and to highlight for the community that in fact we
do not want to see these sorts of things out there in the community raising a
level of angst and stirring up a level of fear in the community when in fact
that should not be the case.
Mr
F.M. Logan : The letter was sent to the Attorney General.
Mr
D.T. REDMAN : As it relates to Corrective Services, shadow minister, I think
it is appropriate that the corrective services minister responds.
Just to cite a couple of the points, I will read from the
letter. The letter is about the young adults facility, which is the facility
that is going in. It will have 80 beds, and it will have specialist provision
for 18 to 24-year-olds who may have had a little misdemeanour that, sadly, has
resulted in them receiving a term of imprisonment. It is a chance to put a
specialist focus on their rehabilitation to enable their transition back into
the community. This is something very, very different; it is something Western
Australia is doing, and I think it is something we should be rightly very proud
of. The letter states —
Originally this facility was planned
for young non-violent offenders, but without talking to the community, the
government has changed it to a fully-fledged prison where teenagers will mix
with experienced prisoners up to 24 years old.
Mr
F.M. Logan : That is true.
Mr
D.T. REDMAN : No, it is not—no!
Mr
F.M. Logan : That is true; your previous government —
The
SPEAKER : Member for Cockburn!
Mr
F.M. Logan : There was never going to be a prison!
The
SPEAKER : Member for Cockburn, I formally call you to order for the first
time today.
Mr
D.T. REDMAN : This facility is going to have a very specialist focus, and it
is going to take a different approach to dealing with those who sadly finish up
in prison, and hopefully help those young people—which is a cohort that
is quite highly represented within our prison system—focus on
education, programs and transitioning back into the community. I think it is
misleading to stir up the community —
Mr
F.M. Logan : Tell them how it's going to be a prison.
Mr
D.T. REDMAN : At the end of the day it is a prison, because these people
will be prisoners.
Mr
F.M. Logan : That's right!
Mr
D.T. REDMAN : Mr Speaker, something that holds prisoners is a prison!
The letter also went on to say that
there had been escapes from facilities under their—that is, Serco's—watch.
We must remember that it was the Labor Party that reinstated the contract for
Serco to play a part in Acacia Prison in Western Australia. That prison has
been highlighted by the Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services as one of
the best-run prisons in the state. I assume that the opposition is saying that it
does not support the letter from the union. Is that the case?
Mr
F.M. Logan : I haven't read it.
Mr D.T. REDMAN :
The member has not read it. When it is signed by the secretary of the Prison
Officers Union and secretary of the Community and Public Sector Union–Civil
Service Association of WA, one would think that it carries the support of the
Labor Party.
Several members interjected.
Mr D.T. REDMAN : Is
that a bad assumption? That is the wrong assumption?
This highlights —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : I do
not want to keep getting to my feet, members. I would like to hear the
minister, and other people in this place would like to hear the minister.
Mr D.T. REDMAN :
This letter, at best, tries to —
Mr P. Papalia interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Warnbro, I formally call you to order for the first time today.
Mr D.T. REDMAN :
This letter, at best, tries to misinform the community about the intention of
the new young adults' facility, which is a very innovative idea that
has been put in place in Western Australia. It is unique and targeted. The
letter highlights that by doing this, we will in some way threaten the
community. This is a very specific group of people who are highly represented
within the prison community. We are focused on how we will respond to that, and
to say that we are not able to protect the community is an absolute furphy. The
focus here is on privatisation, something that the Labor Party did when it was
in government. We have no notion of privatising everything in sight across the
prison system; in fact, the two regional prisons that have been built will be
managed within the public system by the Department of Corrective Services. Yes,
this will be run by Serco, but that is something that is not entirely foreign
to the opposition.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.