❓ Mr. Whitby asks about the government's plan to address prison overcrowding with the Casuarina Prison expansion. The Minister details the expansion plans and criticizes the previous government's inaction on prison infrastructure.
AnsweredQoN 264Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CASUARINA PRISON
264. Mr R.R. WHITBY to the Minister for Corrective Services:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's $186 million commitment to expand Casuarina Prison and
provide an extra 344 beds as well as the development of a long-term prison
estate expansion plan. Can the minister outline to the house how these measures
will build on this government's efforts to fix the chronic prison
overcrowding it inherited from the previous Liberal–National
government?
264. Mr R.R. WHITBY to the Minister for Corrective Services:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's $186 million commitment to expand Casuarina Prison and
provide an extra 344 beds as well as the development of a long-term prison
estate expansion plan. Can the minister outline to the house how these measures
will build on this government's efforts to fix the chronic prison
overcrowding it inherited from the previous Liberal–National
government?
AnswerView source ↗
I
very much indeed thank the member for Baldivis for that great question. The
answer to it of course follows on from last week's question without
notice about Hakea Prison. I explained to the house that the answer to dealing
with the issue of the density of prison numbers at Hakea Prison was to continue
to expand the prison estate, put more beds into the prison estate and break the
cohorts up who are currently in Hakea to ensure that we have a far more
rational and effective management of Hakea Prison. On Sunday I announced that
an extra 344 beds will be built for Casuarina. That is on top of the 512 beds
that are now under construction, which brings it to a total of an extra 1 228
beds that will be put into the prison estate. That has all been announced and
under construction within just over two years. It is a phenomenal turnaround by
our government over what we inherited from the previous Liberal government. On
top of that, as the member for Baldivis pointed out, there is a $3.3 million
upgrade of Casuarina security systems. As I pointed out earlier, that expansion
of the prison estate, the 344 beds, plus the 512 that are currently under
construction will provide extra maximum security beds for Casuarina. That will
deal with the cohort that is currently in Hakea, and of course the problems
that we have with the number of people in Hakea. It will also help deal with
maximum security prisoners in Albany, Greenough and Kalgoorlie as well. These
new beds that are going into Casuarina will help in managing the maximum cohort
of prisoners across the whole prison estate. That is a fantastic outcome
whereby we can get back to how we can properly manage prisons in their minimum,
medium and maximum categories. That has not been done for literally a decade.
We are not only building those new units, but also recruiting 450 more staff
and fixing the corruption that was left to us, and we have opened the work
camps. Remember that those work camps, which cost the taxpayer millions of
dollars, were closed down by the previous government and abandoned. We
have reopened them, and of course we are fixing the disgraceful situation for
prisoners in Broome.
I am pleased to see that the Leader
of the Opposition supports what the McGowan government and I am doing as the
Minister for Corrective Services. On 6PR news in February he said —
It's
like hospital, schools, when population and demand grows you've got to
meet those demands. They —
Meaning the McGowan government —
have to go out and find the money and
build new capacity in our prison.
That is exactly what we are doing,
Leader of the Opposition. The only thing is, why did he not do it when he was
the Treasurer?
Dr M.D. Nahan : We did.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : No, he did
not.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr F.M. LOGAN : In the four
years from 2013, the previous government put not one cent into the prison
system. Not one cent. It froze staff, cut
back on programs and put no infrastructure in. Why? I had the member for
Dawesville outside the house ask me after last week's question, ''Why
didn't the previous government put more money into the prison system?''
And I said, ''Well, member for Dawesville, it's like this.''
Mr D.T. Redman interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Warren–Blackwood!
Mr F.M. LOGAN : I would not care
whether he was here or he was not here, I would still say it. ''Member
for Dawesville, it is like this: when you're intent on privatising the
entire prison estate, why would you put any money in? You're getting
rid of this all; you're privatising the lot.'' That is exactly
what the previous government was up to and that is why it did not put any money
into the prison estate.
very much indeed thank the member for Baldivis for that great question. The
answer to it of course follows on from last week's question without
notice about Hakea Prison. I explained to the house that the answer to dealing
with the issue of the density of prison numbers at Hakea Prison was to continue
to expand the prison estate, put more beds into the prison estate and break the
cohorts up who are currently in Hakea to ensure that we have a far more
rational and effective management of Hakea Prison. On Sunday I announced that
an extra 344 beds will be built for Casuarina. That is on top of the 512 beds
that are now under construction, which brings it to a total of an extra 1 228
beds that will be put into the prison estate. That has all been announced and
under construction within just over two years. It is a phenomenal turnaround by
our government over what we inherited from the previous Liberal government. On
top of that, as the member for Baldivis pointed out, there is a $3.3 million
upgrade of Casuarina security systems. As I pointed out earlier, that expansion
of the prison estate, the 344 beds, plus the 512 that are currently under
construction will provide extra maximum security beds for Casuarina. That will
deal with the cohort that is currently in Hakea, and of course the problems
that we have with the number of people in Hakea. It will also help deal with
maximum security prisoners in Albany, Greenough and Kalgoorlie as well. These
new beds that are going into Casuarina will help in managing the maximum cohort
of prisoners across the whole prison estate. That is a fantastic outcome
whereby we can get back to how we can properly manage prisons in their minimum,
medium and maximum categories. That has not been done for literally a decade.
We are not only building those new units, but also recruiting 450 more staff
and fixing the corruption that was left to us, and we have opened the work
camps. Remember that those work camps, which cost the taxpayer millions of
dollars, were closed down by the previous government and abandoned. We
have reopened them, and of course we are fixing the disgraceful situation for
prisoners in Broome.
I am pleased to see that the Leader
of the Opposition supports what the McGowan government and I am doing as the
Minister for Corrective Services. On 6PR news in February he said —
It's
like hospital, schools, when population and demand grows you've got to
meet those demands. They —
Meaning the McGowan government —
have to go out and find the money and
build new capacity in our prison.
That is exactly what we are doing,
Leader of the Opposition. The only thing is, why did he not do it when he was
the Treasurer?
Dr M.D. Nahan : We did.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : No, he did
not.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr F.M. LOGAN : In the four
years from 2013, the previous government put not one cent into the prison
system. Not one cent. It froze staff, cut
back on programs and put no infrastructure in. Why? I had the member for
Dawesville outside the house ask me after last week's question, ''Why
didn't the previous government put more money into the prison system?''
And I said, ''Well, member for Dawesville, it's like this.''
Mr D.T. Redman interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Warren–Blackwood!
Mr F.M. LOGAN : I would not care
whether he was here or he was not here, I would still say it. ''Member
for Dawesville, it is like this: when you're intent on privatising the
entire prison estate, why would you put any money in? You're getting
rid of this all; you're privatising the lot.'' That is exactly
what the previous government was up to and that is why it did not put any money
into the prison estate.
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