❓ Mr. Quigley questions the Attorney General about prisoner escapes from Geraldton Courthouse, the review of a previous escape, and security failures. The Attorney General deflects, citing past incidents and overall improved escape rates, promising to revisit the review.
AnsweredQoN 107Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
GERALDTON COURTHOUSE — PRISONER ESCAPEs
Following the escape in January 2010 from the Geraldton courthouse of a prisoner who was before the court on serious charges, the Attorney General promised a review into this incident. (1) Has that review been completed? (2) What were the recommendations of that review? (3) Will he make that review public? (4) Does the escape from the dock of another prisoner who was in custody before the court on serious charges, which escape occurred last Friday from the very same Geraldton courthouse, demonstrate that the Attorney General has failed in his responsibility to ensure the security of all prisoners in the dock in the Geraldton courthouse? Mr C.C. PORTER
Following the escape in January 2010 from the Geraldton courthouse of a prisoner who was before the court on serious charges, the Attorney General promised a review into this incident. (1) Has that review been completed? (2) What were the recommendations of that review? (3) Will he make that review public? (4) Does the escape from the dock of another prisoner who was in custody before the court on serious charges, which escape occurred last Friday from the very same Geraldton courthouse, demonstrate that the Attorney General has failed in his responsibility to ensure the security of all prisoners in the dock in the Geraldton courthouse? Mr C.C. PORTER
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(4) There are two general parts to that question. The second part of the question was about whether the performance of this government on escapes — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Cockburn, the member for Mindarie has asked the question. I am sure he wants to hear the answer. I would like to hear the answer as well. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, the question was in two parts. The second part was about the government’s record in this respect. I noted, probably a bit prematurely, in another minister’s answer that under the previous government, prisoners escaped from the Supreme Court building and car-jacked cars along St Georges Terrace. I remember the day well because I was a prosecutor at the time and I locked my door. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Willagee, I formally call you to order for the first time. I once again suggest to members on both sides of this place that a person has asked a question and I expect that he will get an answer. I hope that he will get an answer. Continual interjections from both sides of this place do not help the member to get an answer and do not help the Attorney General to provide an answer. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we track on a monthly basis key performance indicators for both escapes and absconds from court buildings through the court security and custodial services contract. What I can say without having that particular file with me at the moment, which file I have bequeathed, is that, under this government, the level of escapes from both the prison system and the courts under the CS and CS contract is at a historical record low. That is just a matter of fact. On the specific incident — Ms M.M. Quirk : What are you doing in relation to the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : What are we doing in relation to the few? First of all, the point of this answer is that there are far fewer of the few under this government than there were under the previous government. Mr J.R. Quigley : The point is: are you going to release the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : I recall in broad terms the nature of the incident in Geraldton and I certainly asked my department to review the circumstances of that incident. I cannot recall with enormous specifics the result of that review. What I can say is that the explanations based on the review of that incident that came to me from the department satisfied me that there was no major fall down in departmental procedure in that situation. I will revisit that for the benefit of the member for Mindarie and to reassure myself of that fact, but I very much recall seeing the information that came up from the department and that it did not cause me any great alarm. It is the case, particularly in the court environment where defendants are not always under manacled guard, unlike other systems in the world, that incidents do happen from time to time. I recall from the review of that incident that my department undertook that it did not cause me enormous concern. Obviously it has not caused the member for Mindarie enormous concern because he has raised the question a year after the event Mr J.R. Quigley : Because there has been a repetition of the incident and you have not secured the court. Mr C.C. PORTER : I will go back and consider the explanations and answers that were given to me from the department and reassure myself on this.
(1) Has that review been completed? (2) What were the recommendations of that review? (3) Will he make that review public? (4) Does the escape from the dock of another prisoner who was in custody before the court on serious charges, which escape occurred last Friday from the very same Geraldton courthouse, demonstrate that the Attorney General has failed in his responsibility to ensure the security of all prisoners in the dock in the Geraldton courthouse? Mr C.C. PORTER replied: (1)–(4) There are two general parts to that question. The second part of the question was about whether the performance of this government on escapes — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Cockburn, the member for Mindarie has asked the question. I am sure he wants to hear the answer. I would like to hear the answer as well. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, the question was in two parts. The second part was about the government’s record in this respect. I noted, probably a bit prematurely, in another minister’s answer that under the previous government, prisoners escaped from the Supreme Court building and car-jacked cars along St Georges Terrace. I remember the day well because I was a prosecutor at the time and I locked my door. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Willagee, I formally call you to order for the first time. I once again suggest to members on both sides of this place that a person has asked a question and I expect that he will get an answer. I hope that he will get an answer. Continual interjections from both sides of this place do not help the member to get an answer and do not help the Attorney General to provide an answer. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we track on a monthly basis key performance indicators for both escapes and absconds from court buildings through the court security and custodial services contract. What I can say without having that particular file with me at the moment, which file I have bequeathed, is that, under this government, the level of escapes from both the prison system and the courts under the CS and CS contract is at a historical record low. That is just a matter of fact. On the specific incident — Ms M.M. Quirk : What are you doing in relation to the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : What are we doing in relation to the few? First of all, the point of this answer is that there are far fewer of the few under this government than there were under the previous government. Mr J.R. Quigley : The point is: are you going to release the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : I recall in broad terms the nature of the incident in Geraldton and I certainly asked my department to review the circumstances of that incident. I cannot recall with enormous specifics the result of that review. What I can say is that the explanations based on the review of that incident that came to me from the department satisfied me that there was no major fall down in departmental procedure in that situation. I will revisit that for the benefit of the member for Mindarie and to reassure myself of that fact, but I very much recall seeing the information that came up from the department and that it did not cause me any great alarm. It is the case, particularly in the court environment where defendants are not always under manacled guard, unlike other systems in the world, that incidents do happen from time to time. I recall from the review of that incident that my department undertook that it did not cause me enormous concern. Obviously it has not caused the member for Mindarie enormous concern because he has raised the question a year after the event Mr J.R. Quigley : Because there has been a repetition of the incident and you have not secured the court. Mr C.C. PORTER : I will go back and consider the explanations and answers that were given to me from the department and reassure myself on this.
(2) What were the recommendations of that review? (3) Will he make that review public? (4) Does the escape from the dock of another prisoner who was in custody before the court on serious charges, which escape occurred last Friday from the very same Geraldton courthouse, demonstrate that the Attorney General has failed in his responsibility to ensure the security of all prisoners in the dock in the Geraldton courthouse? Mr C.C. PORTER replied: (1)–(4) There are two general parts to that question. The second part of the question was about whether the performance of this government on escapes — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Cockburn, the member for Mindarie has asked the question. I am sure he wants to hear the answer. I would like to hear the answer as well. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, the question was in two parts. The second part was about the government’s record in this respect. I noted, probably a bit prematurely, in another minister’s answer that under the previous government, prisoners escaped from the Supreme Court building and car-jacked cars along St Georges Terrace. I remember the day well because I was a prosecutor at the time and I locked my door. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Willagee, I formally call you to order for the first time. I once again suggest to members on both sides of this place that a person has asked a question and I expect that he will get an answer. I hope that he will get an answer. Continual interjections from both sides of this place do not help the member to get an answer and do not help the Attorney General to provide an answer. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we track on a monthly basis key performance indicators for both escapes and absconds from court buildings through the court security and custodial services contract. What I can say without having that particular file with me at the moment, which file I have bequeathed, is that, under this government, the level of escapes from both the prison system and the courts under the CS and CS contract is at a historical record low. That is just a matter of fact. On the specific incident — Ms M.M. Quirk : What are you doing in relation to the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : What are we doing in relation to the few? First of all, the point of this answer is that there are far fewer of the few under this government than there were under the previous government. Mr J.R. Quigley : The point is: are you going to release the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : I recall in broad terms the nature of the incident in Geraldton and I certainly asked my department to review the circumstances of that incident. I cannot recall with enormous specifics the result of that review. What I can say is that the explanations based on the review of that incident that came to me from the department satisfied me that there was no major fall down in departmental procedure in that situation. I will revisit that for the benefit of the member for Mindarie and to reassure myself of that fact, but I very much recall seeing the information that came up from the department and that it did not cause me any great alarm. It is the case, particularly in the court environment where defendants are not always under manacled guard, unlike other systems in the world, that incidents do happen from time to time. I recall from the review of that incident that my department undertook that it did not cause me enormous concern. Obviously it has not caused the member for Mindarie enormous concern because he has raised the question a year after the event Mr J.R. Quigley : Because there has been a repetition of the incident and you have not secured the court. Mr C.C. PORTER : I will go back and consider the explanations and answers that were given to me from the department and reassure myself on this.
(3) Will he make that review public? (4) Does the escape from the dock of another prisoner who was in custody before the court on serious charges, which escape occurred last Friday from the very same Geraldton courthouse, demonstrate that the Attorney General has failed in his responsibility to ensure the security of all prisoners in the dock in the Geraldton courthouse? Mr C.C. PORTER replied: (1)–(4) There are two general parts to that question. The second part of the question was about whether the performance of this government on escapes — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Cockburn, the member for Mindarie has asked the question. I am sure he wants to hear the answer. I would like to hear the answer as well. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, the question was in two parts. The second part was about the government’s record in this respect. I noted, probably a bit prematurely, in another minister’s answer that under the previous government, prisoners escaped from the Supreme Court building and car-jacked cars along St Georges Terrace. I remember the day well because I was a prosecutor at the time and I locked my door. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Willagee, I formally call you to order for the first time. I once again suggest to members on both sides of this place that a person has asked a question and I expect that he will get an answer. I hope that he will get an answer. Continual interjections from both sides of this place do not help the member to get an answer and do not help the Attorney General to provide an answer. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we track on a monthly basis key performance indicators for both escapes and absconds from court buildings through the court security and custodial services contract. What I can say without having that particular file with me at the moment, which file I have bequeathed, is that, under this government, the level of escapes from both the prison system and the courts under the CS and CS contract is at a historical record low. That is just a matter of fact. On the specific incident — Ms M.M. Quirk : What are you doing in relation to the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : What are we doing in relation to the few? First of all, the point of this answer is that there are far fewer of the few under this government than there were under the previous government. Mr J.R. Quigley : The point is: are you going to release the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : I recall in broad terms the nature of the incident in Geraldton and I certainly asked my department to review the circumstances of that incident. I cannot recall with enormous specifics the result of that review. What I can say is that the explanations based on the review of that incident that came to me from the department satisfied me that there was no major fall down in departmental procedure in that situation. I will revisit that for the benefit of the member for Mindarie and to reassure myself of that fact, but I very much recall seeing the information that came up from the department and that it did not cause me any great alarm. It is the case, particularly in the court environment where defendants are not always under manacled guard, unlike other systems in the world, that incidents do happen from time to time. I recall from the review of that incident that my department undertook that it did not cause me enormous concern. Obviously it has not caused the member for Mindarie enormous concern because he has raised the question a year after the event Mr J.R. Quigley : Because there has been a repetition of the incident and you have not secured the court. Mr C.C. PORTER : I will go back and consider the explanations and answers that were given to me from the department and reassure myself on this.
(4) Does the escape from the dock of another prisoner who was in custody before the court on serious charges, which escape occurred last Friday from the very same Geraldton courthouse, demonstrate that the Attorney General has failed in his responsibility to ensure the security of all prisoners in the dock in the Geraldton courthouse? Mr C.C. PORTER replied: (1)–(4) There are two general parts to that question. The second part of the question was about whether the performance of this government on escapes — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Cockburn, the member for Mindarie has asked the question. I am sure he wants to hear the answer. I would like to hear the answer as well. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, the question was in two parts. The second part was about the government’s record in this respect. I noted, probably a bit prematurely, in another minister’s answer that under the previous government, prisoners escaped from the Supreme Court building and car-jacked cars along St Georges Terrace. I remember the day well because I was a prosecutor at the time and I locked my door. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Willagee, I formally call you to order for the first time. I once again suggest to members on both sides of this place that a person has asked a question and I expect that he will get an answer. I hope that he will get an answer. Continual interjections from both sides of this place do not help the member to get an answer and do not help the Attorney General to provide an answer. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we track on a monthly basis key performance indicators for both escapes and absconds from court buildings through the court security and custodial services contract. What I can say without having that particular file with me at the moment, which file I have bequeathed, is that, under this government, the level of escapes from both the prison system and the courts under the CS and CS contract is at a historical record low. That is just a matter of fact. On the specific incident — Ms M.M. Quirk : What are you doing in relation to the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : What are we doing in relation to the few? First of all, the point of this answer is that there are far fewer of the few under this government than there were under the previous government. Mr J.R. Quigley : The point is: are you going to release the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : I recall in broad terms the nature of the incident in Geraldton and I certainly asked my department to review the circumstances of that incident. I cannot recall with enormous specifics the result of that review. What I can say is that the explanations based on the review of that incident that came to me from the department satisfied me that there was no major fall down in departmental procedure in that situation. I will revisit that for the benefit of the member for Mindarie and to reassure myself of that fact, but I very much recall seeing the information that came up from the department and that it did not cause me any great alarm. It is the case, particularly in the court environment where defendants are not always under manacled guard, unlike other systems in the world, that incidents do happen from time to time. I recall from the review of that incident that my department undertook that it did not cause me enormous concern. Obviously it has not caused the member for Mindarie enormous concern because he has raised the question a year after the event Mr J.R. Quigley : Because there has been a repetition of the incident and you have not secured the court. Mr C.C. PORTER : I will go back and consider the explanations and answers that were given to me from the department and reassure myself on this.
Mr C.C. PORTER replied: (1)–(4) There are two general parts to that question. The second part of the question was about whether the performance of this government on escapes — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Cockburn, the member for Mindarie has asked the question. I am sure he wants to hear the answer. I would like to hear the answer as well. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, the question was in two parts. The second part was about the government’s record in this respect. I noted, probably a bit prematurely, in another minister’s answer that under the previous government, prisoners escaped from the Supreme Court building and car-jacked cars along St Georges Terrace. I remember the day well because I was a prosecutor at the time and I locked my door. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Willagee, I formally call you to order for the first time. I once again suggest to members on both sides of this place that a person has asked a question and I expect that he will get an answer. I hope that he will get an answer. Continual interjections from both sides of this place do not help the member to get an answer and do not help the Attorney General to provide an answer. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we track on a monthly basis key performance indicators for both escapes and absconds from court buildings through the court security and custodial services contract. What I can say without having that particular file with me at the moment, which file I have bequeathed, is that, under this government, the level of escapes from both the prison system and the courts under the CS and CS contract is at a historical record low. That is just a matter of fact. On the specific incident — Ms M.M. Quirk : What are you doing in relation to the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : What are we doing in relation to the few? First of all, the point of this answer is that there are far fewer of the few under this government than there were under the previous government. Mr J.R. Quigley : The point is: are you going to release the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : I recall in broad terms the nature of the incident in Geraldton and I certainly asked my department to review the circumstances of that incident. I cannot recall with enormous specifics the result of that review. What I can say is that the explanations based on the review of that incident that came to me from the department satisfied me that there was no major fall down in departmental procedure in that situation. I will revisit that for the benefit of the member for Mindarie and to reassure myself of that fact, but I very much recall seeing the information that came up from the department and that it did not cause me any great alarm. It is the case, particularly in the court environment where defendants are not always under manacled guard, unlike other systems in the world, that incidents do happen from time to time. I recall from the review of that incident that my department undertook that it did not cause me enormous concern. Obviously it has not caused the member for Mindarie enormous concern because he has raised the question a year after the event Mr J.R. Quigley : Because there has been a repetition of the incident and you have not secured the court. Mr C.C. PORTER : I will go back and consider the explanations and answers that were given to me from the department and reassure myself on this.
(1)–(4) There are two general parts to that question. The second part of the question was about whether the performance of this government on escapes — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Cockburn, the member for Mindarie has asked the question. I am sure he wants to hear the answer. I would like to hear the answer as well. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, the question was in two parts. The second part was about the government’s record in this respect. I noted, probably a bit prematurely, in another minister’s answer that under the previous government, prisoners escaped from the Supreme Court building and car-jacked cars along St Georges Terrace. I remember the day well because I was a prosecutor at the time and I locked my door. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Willagee, I formally call you to order for the first time. I once again suggest to members on both sides of this place that a person has asked a question and I expect that he will get an answer. I hope that he will get an answer. Continual interjections from both sides of this place do not help the member to get an answer and do not help the Attorney General to provide an answer. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we track on a monthly basis key performance indicators for both escapes and absconds from court buildings through the court security and custodial services contract. What I can say without having that particular file with me at the moment, which file I have bequeathed, is that, under this government, the level of escapes from both the prison system and the courts under the CS and CS contract is at a historical record low. That is just a matter of fact. On the specific incident — Ms M.M. Quirk : What are you doing in relation to the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : What are we doing in relation to the few? First of all, the point of this answer is that there are far fewer of the few under this government than there were under the previous government. Mr J.R. Quigley : The point is: are you going to release the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : I recall in broad terms the nature of the incident in Geraldton and I certainly asked my department to review the circumstances of that incident. I cannot recall with enormous specifics the result of that review. What I can say is that the explanations based on the review of that incident that came to me from the department satisfied me that there was no major fall down in departmental procedure in that situation. I will revisit that for the benefit of the member for Mindarie and to reassure myself of that fact, but I very much recall seeing the information that came up from the department and that it did not cause me any great alarm. It is the case, particularly in the court environment where defendants are not always under manacled guard, unlike other systems in the world, that incidents do happen from time to time. I recall from the review of that incident that my department undertook that it did not cause me enormous concern. Obviously it has not caused the member for Mindarie enormous concern because he has raised the question a year after the event Mr J.R. Quigley : Because there has been a repetition of the incident and you have not secured the court. Mr C.C. PORTER : I will go back and consider the explanations and answers that were given to me from the department and reassure myself on this.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Cockburn, the member for Mindarie has asked the question. I am sure he wants to hear the answer. I would like to hear the answer as well. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, the question was in two parts. The second part was about the government’s record in this respect. I noted, probably a bit prematurely, in another minister’s answer that under the previous government, prisoners escaped from the Supreme Court building and car-jacked cars along St Georges Terrace. I remember the day well because I was a prosecutor at the time and I locked my door. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Willagee, I formally call you to order for the first time. I once again suggest to members on both sides of this place that a person has asked a question and I expect that he will get an answer. I hope that he will get an answer. Continual interjections from both sides of this place do not help the member to get an answer and do not help the Attorney General to provide an answer. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we track on a monthly basis key performance indicators for both escapes and absconds from court buildings through the court security and custodial services contract. What I can say without having that particular file with me at the moment, which file I have bequeathed, is that, under this government, the level of escapes from both the prison system and the courts under the CS and CS contract is at a historical record low. That is just a matter of fact. On the specific incident — Ms M.M. Quirk : What are you doing in relation to the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : What are we doing in relation to the few? First of all, the point of this answer is that there are far fewer of the few under this government than there were under the previous government. Mr J.R. Quigley : The point is: are you going to release the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : I recall in broad terms the nature of the incident in Geraldton and I certainly asked my department to review the circumstances of that incident. I cannot recall with enormous specifics the result of that review. What I can say is that the explanations based on the review of that incident that came to me from the department satisfied me that there was no major fall down in departmental procedure in that situation. I will revisit that for the benefit of the member for Mindarie and to reassure myself of that fact, but I very much recall seeing the information that came up from the department and that it did not cause me any great alarm. It is the case, particularly in the court environment where defendants are not always under manacled guard, unlike other systems in the world, that incidents do happen from time to time. I recall from the review of that incident that my department undertook that it did not cause me enormous concern. Obviously it has not caused the member for Mindarie enormous concern because he has raised the question a year after the event Mr J.R. Quigley : Because there has been a repetition of the incident and you have not secured the court. Mr C.C. PORTER : I will go back and consider the explanations and answers that were given to me from the department and reassure myself on this.
The SPEAKER : Member for Cockburn, the member for Mindarie has asked the question. I am sure he wants to hear the answer. I would like to hear the answer as well. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, the question was in two parts. The second part was about the government’s record in this respect. I noted, probably a bit prematurely, in another minister’s answer that under the previous government, prisoners escaped from the Supreme Court building and car-jacked cars along St Georges Terrace. I remember the day well because I was a prosecutor at the time and I locked my door. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Willagee, I formally call you to order for the first time. I once again suggest to members on both sides of this place that a person has asked a question and I expect that he will get an answer. I hope that he will get an answer. Continual interjections from both sides of this place do not help the member to get an answer and do not help the Attorney General to provide an answer. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we track on a monthly basis key performance indicators for both escapes and absconds from court buildings through the court security and custodial services contract. What I can say without having that particular file with me at the moment, which file I have bequeathed, is that, under this government, the level of escapes from both the prison system and the courts under the CS and CS contract is at a historical record low. That is just a matter of fact. On the specific incident — Ms M.M. Quirk : What are you doing in relation to the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : What are we doing in relation to the few? First of all, the point of this answer is that there are far fewer of the few under this government than there were under the previous government. Mr J.R. Quigley : The point is: are you going to release the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : I recall in broad terms the nature of the incident in Geraldton and I certainly asked my department to review the circumstances of that incident. I cannot recall with enormous specifics the result of that review. What I can say is that the explanations based on the review of that incident that came to me from the department satisfied me that there was no major fall down in departmental procedure in that situation. I will revisit that for the benefit of the member for Mindarie and to reassure myself of that fact, but I very much recall seeing the information that came up from the department and that it did not cause me any great alarm. It is the case, particularly in the court environment where defendants are not always under manacled guard, unlike other systems in the world, that incidents do happen from time to time. I recall from the review of that incident that my department undertook that it did not cause me enormous concern. Obviously it has not caused the member for Mindarie enormous concern because he has raised the question a year after the event Mr J.R. Quigley : Because there has been a repetition of the incident and you have not secured the court. Mr C.C. PORTER : I will go back and consider the explanations and answers that were given to me from the department and reassure myself on this.
Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, the question was in two parts. The second part was about the government’s record in this respect. I noted, probably a bit prematurely, in another minister’s answer that under the previous government, prisoners escaped from the Supreme Court building and car-jacked cars along St Georges Terrace. I remember the day well because I was a prosecutor at the time and I locked my door. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Willagee, I formally call you to order for the first time. I once again suggest to members on both sides of this place that a person has asked a question and I expect that he will get an answer. I hope that he will get an answer. Continual interjections from both sides of this place do not help the member to get an answer and do not help the Attorney General to provide an answer. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we track on a monthly basis key performance indicators for both escapes and absconds from court buildings through the court security and custodial services contract. What I can say without having that particular file with me at the moment, which file I have bequeathed, is that, under this government, the level of escapes from both the prison system and the courts under the CS and CS contract is at a historical record low. That is just a matter of fact. On the specific incident — Ms M.M. Quirk : What are you doing in relation to the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : What are we doing in relation to the few? First of all, the point of this answer is that there are far fewer of the few under this government than there were under the previous government. Mr J.R. Quigley : The point is: are you going to release the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : I recall in broad terms the nature of the incident in Geraldton and I certainly asked my department to review the circumstances of that incident. I cannot recall with enormous specifics the result of that review. What I can say is that the explanations based on the review of that incident that came to me from the department satisfied me that there was no major fall down in departmental procedure in that situation. I will revisit that for the benefit of the member for Mindarie and to reassure myself of that fact, but I very much recall seeing the information that came up from the department and that it did not cause me any great alarm. It is the case, particularly in the court environment where defendants are not always under manacled guard, unlike other systems in the world, that incidents do happen from time to time. I recall from the review of that incident that my department undertook that it did not cause me enormous concern. Obviously it has not caused the member for Mindarie enormous concern because he has raised the question a year after the event Mr J.R. Quigley : Because there has been a repetition of the incident and you have not secured the court. Mr C.C. PORTER : I will go back and consider the explanations and answers that were given to me from the department and reassure myself on this.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Willagee, I formally call you to order for the first time. I once again suggest to members on both sides of this place that a person has asked a question and I expect that he will get an answer. I hope that he will get an answer. Continual interjections from both sides of this place do not help the member to get an answer and do not help the Attorney General to provide an answer. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we track on a monthly basis key performance indicators for both escapes and absconds from court buildings through the court security and custodial services contract. What I can say without having that particular file with me at the moment, which file I have bequeathed, is that, under this government, the level of escapes from both the prison system and the courts under the CS and CS contract is at a historical record low. That is just a matter of fact. On the specific incident — Ms M.M. Quirk : What are you doing in relation to the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : What are we doing in relation to the few? First of all, the point of this answer is that there are far fewer of the few under this government than there were under the previous government. Mr J.R. Quigley : The point is: are you going to release the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : I recall in broad terms the nature of the incident in Geraldton and I certainly asked my department to review the circumstances of that incident. I cannot recall with enormous specifics the result of that review. What I can say is that the explanations based on the review of that incident that came to me from the department satisfied me that there was no major fall down in departmental procedure in that situation. I will revisit that for the benefit of the member for Mindarie and to reassure myself of that fact, but I very much recall seeing the information that came up from the department and that it did not cause me any great alarm. It is the case, particularly in the court environment where defendants are not always under manacled guard, unlike other systems in the world, that incidents do happen from time to time. I recall from the review of that incident that my department undertook that it did not cause me enormous concern. Obviously it has not caused the member for Mindarie enormous concern because he has raised the question a year after the event Mr J.R. Quigley : Because there has been a repetition of the incident and you have not secured the court. Mr C.C. PORTER : I will go back and consider the explanations and answers that were given to me from the department and reassure myself on this.
The SPEAKER : Member for Willagee, I formally call you to order for the first time. I once again suggest to members on both sides of this place that a person has asked a question and I expect that he will get an answer. I hope that he will get an answer. Continual interjections from both sides of this place do not help the member to get an answer and do not help the Attorney General to provide an answer. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we track on a monthly basis key performance indicators for both escapes and absconds from court buildings through the court security and custodial services contract. What I can say without having that particular file with me at the moment, which file I have bequeathed, is that, under this government, the level of escapes from both the prison system and the courts under the CS and CS contract is at a historical record low. That is just a matter of fact. On the specific incident — Ms M.M. Quirk : What are you doing in relation to the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : What are we doing in relation to the few? First of all, the point of this answer is that there are far fewer of the few under this government than there were under the previous government. Mr J.R. Quigley : The point is: are you going to release the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : I recall in broad terms the nature of the incident in Geraldton and I certainly asked my department to review the circumstances of that incident. I cannot recall with enormous specifics the result of that review. What I can say is that the explanations based on the review of that incident that came to me from the department satisfied me that there was no major fall down in departmental procedure in that situation. I will revisit that for the benefit of the member for Mindarie and to reassure myself of that fact, but I very much recall seeing the information that came up from the department and that it did not cause me any great alarm. It is the case, particularly in the court environment where defendants are not always under manacled guard, unlike other systems in the world, that incidents do happen from time to time. I recall from the review of that incident that my department undertook that it did not cause me enormous concern. Obviously it has not caused the member for Mindarie enormous concern because he has raised the question a year after the event Mr J.R. Quigley : Because there has been a repetition of the incident and you have not secured the court. Mr C.C. PORTER : I will go back and consider the explanations and answers that were given to me from the department and reassure myself on this.
Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we track on a monthly basis key performance indicators for both escapes and absconds from court buildings through the court security and custodial services contract. What I can say without having that particular file with me at the moment, which file I have bequeathed, is that, under this government, the level of escapes from both the prison system and the courts under the CS and CS contract is at a historical record low. That is just a matter of fact. On the specific incident — Ms M.M. Quirk : What are you doing in relation to the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : What are we doing in relation to the few? First of all, the point of this answer is that there are far fewer of the few under this government than there were under the previous government. Mr J.R. Quigley : The point is: are you going to release the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : I recall in broad terms the nature of the incident in Geraldton and I certainly asked my department to review the circumstances of that incident. I cannot recall with enormous specifics the result of that review. What I can say is that the explanations based on the review of that incident that came to me from the department satisfied me that there was no major fall down in departmental procedure in that situation. I will revisit that for the benefit of the member for Mindarie and to reassure myself of that fact, but I very much recall seeing the information that came up from the department and that it did not cause me any great alarm. It is the case, particularly in the court environment where defendants are not always under manacled guard, unlike other systems in the world, that incidents do happen from time to time. I recall from the review of that incident that my department undertook that it did not cause me enormous concern. Obviously it has not caused the member for Mindarie enormous concern because he has raised the question a year after the event Mr J.R. Quigley : Because there has been a repetition of the incident and you have not secured the court. Mr C.C. PORTER : I will go back and consider the explanations and answers that were given to me from the department and reassure myself on this.
Ms M.M. Quirk : What are you doing in relation to the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : What are we doing in relation to the few? First of all, the point of this answer is that there are far fewer of the few under this government than there were under the previous government. Mr J.R. Quigley : The point is: are you going to release the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : I recall in broad terms the nature of the incident in Geraldton and I certainly asked my department to review the circumstances of that incident. I cannot recall with enormous specifics the result of that review. What I can say is that the explanations based on the review of that incident that came to me from the department satisfied me that there was no major fall down in departmental procedure in that situation. I will revisit that for the benefit of the member for Mindarie and to reassure myself of that fact, but I very much recall seeing the information that came up from the department and that it did not cause me any great alarm. It is the case, particularly in the court environment where defendants are not always under manacled guard, unlike other systems in the world, that incidents do happen from time to time. I recall from the review of that incident that my department undertook that it did not cause me enormous concern. Obviously it has not caused the member for Mindarie enormous concern because he has raised the question a year after the event Mr J.R. Quigley : Because there has been a repetition of the incident and you have not secured the court. Mr C.C. PORTER : I will go back and consider the explanations and answers that were given to me from the department and reassure myself on this.
Mr C.C. PORTER : What are we doing in relation to the few? First of all, the point of this answer is that there are far fewer of the few under this government than there were under the previous government. Mr J.R. Quigley : The point is: are you going to release the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : I recall in broad terms the nature of the incident in Geraldton and I certainly asked my department to review the circumstances of that incident. I cannot recall with enormous specifics the result of that review. What I can say is that the explanations based on the review of that incident that came to me from the department satisfied me that there was no major fall down in departmental procedure in that situation. I will revisit that for the benefit of the member for Mindarie and to reassure myself of that fact, but I very much recall seeing the information that came up from the department and that it did not cause me any great alarm. It is the case, particularly in the court environment where defendants are not always under manacled guard, unlike other systems in the world, that incidents do happen from time to time. I recall from the review of that incident that my department undertook that it did not cause me enormous concern. Obviously it has not caused the member for Mindarie enormous concern because he has raised the question a year after the event Mr J.R. Quigley : Because there has been a repetition of the incident and you have not secured the court. Mr C.C. PORTER : I will go back and consider the explanations and answers that were given to me from the department and reassure myself on this.
Mr J.R. Quigley : The point is: are you going to release the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : I recall in broad terms the nature of the incident in Geraldton and I certainly asked my department to review the circumstances of that incident. I cannot recall with enormous specifics the result of that review. What I can say is that the explanations based on the review of that incident that came to me from the department satisfied me that there was no major fall down in departmental procedure in that situation. I will revisit that for the benefit of the member for Mindarie and to reassure myself of that fact, but I very much recall seeing the information that came up from the department and that it did not cause me any great alarm. It is the case, particularly in the court environment where defendants are not always under manacled guard, unlike other systems in the world, that incidents do happen from time to time. I recall from the review of that incident that my department undertook that it did not cause me enormous concern. Obviously it has not caused the member for Mindarie enormous concern because he has raised the question a year after the event Mr J.R. Quigley : Because there has been a repetition of the incident and you have not secured the court. Mr C.C. PORTER : I will go back and consider the explanations and answers that were given to me from the department and reassure myself on this.
Mr C.C. PORTER : I recall in broad terms the nature of the incident in Geraldton and I certainly asked my department to review the circumstances of that incident. I cannot recall with enormous specifics the result of that review. What I can say is that the explanations based on the review of that incident that came to me from the department satisfied me that there was no major fall down in departmental procedure in that situation. I will revisit that for the benefit of the member for Mindarie and to reassure myself of that fact, but I very much recall seeing the information that came up from the department and that it did not cause me any great alarm. It is the case, particularly in the court environment where defendants are not always under manacled guard, unlike other systems in the world, that incidents do happen from time to time. I recall from the review of that incident that my department undertook that it did not cause me enormous concern. Obviously it has not caused the member for Mindarie enormous concern because he has raised the question a year after the event Mr J.R. Quigley : Because there has been a repetition of the incident and you have not secured the court. Mr C.C. PORTER : I will go back and consider the explanations and answers that were given to me from the department and reassure myself on this.
Mr J.R. Quigley : Because there has been a repetition of the incident and you have not secured the court. Mr C.C. PORTER : I will go back and consider the explanations and answers that were given to me from the department and reassure myself on this.
Mr C.C. PORTER : I will go back and consider the explanations and answers that were given to me from the department and reassure myself on this.
(1) Has that review been completed? (2) What were the recommendations of that review? (3) Will he make that review public? (4) Does the escape from the dock of another prisoner who was in custody before the court on serious charges, which escape occurred last Friday from the very same Geraldton courthouse, demonstrate that the Attorney General has failed in his responsibility to ensure the security of all prisoners in the dock in the Geraldton courthouse? Mr C.C. PORTER replied: (1)–(4) There are two general parts to that question. The second part of the question was about whether the performance of this government on escapes — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Cockburn, the member for Mindarie has asked the question. I am sure he wants to hear the answer. I would like to hear the answer as well. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, the question was in two parts. The second part was about the government’s record in this respect. I noted, probably a bit prematurely, in another minister’s answer that under the previous government, prisoners escaped from the Supreme Court building and car-jacked cars along St Georges Terrace. I remember the day well because I was a prosecutor at the time and I locked my door. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Willagee, I formally call you to order for the first time. I once again suggest to members on both sides of this place that a person has asked a question and I expect that he will get an answer. I hope that he will get an answer. Continual interjections from both sides of this place do not help the member to get an answer and do not help the Attorney General to provide an answer. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we track on a monthly basis key performance indicators for both escapes and absconds from court buildings through the court security and custodial services contract. What I can say without having that particular file with me at the moment, which file I have bequeathed, is that, under this government, the level of escapes from both the prison system and the courts under the CS and CS contract is at a historical record low. That is just a matter of fact. On the specific incident — Ms M.M. Quirk : What are you doing in relation to the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : What are we doing in relation to the few? First of all, the point of this answer is that there are far fewer of the few under this government than there were under the previous government. Mr J.R. Quigley : The point is: are you going to release the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : I recall in broad terms the nature of the incident in Geraldton and I certainly asked my department to review the circumstances of that incident. I cannot recall with enormous specifics the result of that review. What I can say is that the explanations based on the review of that incident that came to me from the department satisfied me that there was no major fall down in departmental procedure in that situation. I will revisit that for the benefit of the member for Mindarie and to reassure myself of that fact, but I very much recall seeing the information that came up from the department and that it did not cause me any great alarm. It is the case, particularly in the court environment where defendants are not always under manacled guard, unlike other systems in the world, that incidents do happen from time to time. I recall from the review of that incident that my department undertook that it did not cause me enormous concern. Obviously it has not caused the member for Mindarie enormous concern because he has raised the question a year after the event Mr J.R. Quigley : Because there has been a repetition of the incident and you have not secured the court. Mr C.C. PORTER : I will go back and consider the explanations and answers that were given to me from the department and reassure myself on this.
(2) What were the recommendations of that review? (3) Will he make that review public? (4) Does the escape from the dock of another prisoner who was in custody before the court on serious charges, which escape occurred last Friday from the very same Geraldton courthouse, demonstrate that the Attorney General has failed in his responsibility to ensure the security of all prisoners in the dock in the Geraldton courthouse? Mr C.C. PORTER replied: (1)–(4) There are two general parts to that question. The second part of the question was about whether the performance of this government on escapes — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Cockburn, the member for Mindarie has asked the question. I am sure he wants to hear the answer. I would like to hear the answer as well. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, the question was in two parts. The second part was about the government’s record in this respect. I noted, probably a bit prematurely, in another minister’s answer that under the previous government, prisoners escaped from the Supreme Court building and car-jacked cars along St Georges Terrace. I remember the day well because I was a prosecutor at the time and I locked my door. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Willagee, I formally call you to order for the first time. I once again suggest to members on both sides of this place that a person has asked a question and I expect that he will get an answer. I hope that he will get an answer. Continual interjections from both sides of this place do not help the member to get an answer and do not help the Attorney General to provide an answer. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we track on a monthly basis key performance indicators for both escapes and absconds from court buildings through the court security and custodial services contract. What I can say without having that particular file with me at the moment, which file I have bequeathed, is that, under this government, the level of escapes from both the prison system and the courts under the CS and CS contract is at a historical record low. That is just a matter of fact. On the specific incident — Ms M.M. Quirk : What are you doing in relation to the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : What are we doing in relation to the few? First of all, the point of this answer is that there are far fewer of the few under this government than there were under the previous government. Mr J.R. Quigley : The point is: are you going to release the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : I recall in broad terms the nature of the incident in Geraldton and I certainly asked my department to review the circumstances of that incident. I cannot recall with enormous specifics the result of that review. What I can say is that the explanations based on the review of that incident that came to me from the department satisfied me that there was no major fall down in departmental procedure in that situation. I will revisit that for the benefit of the member for Mindarie and to reassure myself of that fact, but I very much recall seeing the information that came up from the department and that it did not cause me any great alarm. It is the case, particularly in the court environment where defendants are not always under manacled guard, unlike other systems in the world, that incidents do happen from time to time. I recall from the review of that incident that my department undertook that it did not cause me enormous concern. Obviously it has not caused the member for Mindarie enormous concern because he has raised the question a year after the event Mr J.R. Quigley : Because there has been a repetition of the incident and you have not secured the court. Mr C.C. PORTER : I will go back and consider the explanations and answers that were given to me from the department and reassure myself on this.
(3) Will he make that review public? (4) Does the escape from the dock of another prisoner who was in custody before the court on serious charges, which escape occurred last Friday from the very same Geraldton courthouse, demonstrate that the Attorney General has failed in his responsibility to ensure the security of all prisoners in the dock in the Geraldton courthouse? Mr C.C. PORTER replied: (1)–(4) There are two general parts to that question. The second part of the question was about whether the performance of this government on escapes — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Cockburn, the member for Mindarie has asked the question. I am sure he wants to hear the answer. I would like to hear the answer as well. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, the question was in two parts. The second part was about the government’s record in this respect. I noted, probably a bit prematurely, in another minister’s answer that under the previous government, prisoners escaped from the Supreme Court building and car-jacked cars along St Georges Terrace. I remember the day well because I was a prosecutor at the time and I locked my door. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Willagee, I formally call you to order for the first time. I once again suggest to members on both sides of this place that a person has asked a question and I expect that he will get an answer. I hope that he will get an answer. Continual interjections from both sides of this place do not help the member to get an answer and do not help the Attorney General to provide an answer. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we track on a monthly basis key performance indicators for both escapes and absconds from court buildings through the court security and custodial services contract. What I can say without having that particular file with me at the moment, which file I have bequeathed, is that, under this government, the level of escapes from both the prison system and the courts under the CS and CS contract is at a historical record low. That is just a matter of fact. On the specific incident — Ms M.M. Quirk : What are you doing in relation to the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : What are we doing in relation to the few? First of all, the point of this answer is that there are far fewer of the few under this government than there were under the previous government. Mr J.R. Quigley : The point is: are you going to release the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : I recall in broad terms the nature of the incident in Geraldton and I certainly asked my department to review the circumstances of that incident. I cannot recall with enormous specifics the result of that review. What I can say is that the explanations based on the review of that incident that came to me from the department satisfied me that there was no major fall down in departmental procedure in that situation. I will revisit that for the benefit of the member for Mindarie and to reassure myself of that fact, but I very much recall seeing the information that came up from the department and that it did not cause me any great alarm. It is the case, particularly in the court environment where defendants are not always under manacled guard, unlike other systems in the world, that incidents do happen from time to time. I recall from the review of that incident that my department undertook that it did not cause me enormous concern. Obviously it has not caused the member for Mindarie enormous concern because he has raised the question a year after the event Mr J.R. Quigley : Because there has been a repetition of the incident and you have not secured the court. Mr C.C. PORTER : I will go back and consider the explanations and answers that were given to me from the department and reassure myself on this.
(4) Does the escape from the dock of another prisoner who was in custody before the court on serious charges, which escape occurred last Friday from the very same Geraldton courthouse, demonstrate that the Attorney General has failed in his responsibility to ensure the security of all prisoners in the dock in the Geraldton courthouse? Mr C.C. PORTER replied: (1)–(4) There are two general parts to that question. The second part of the question was about whether the performance of this government on escapes — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Cockburn, the member for Mindarie has asked the question. I am sure he wants to hear the answer. I would like to hear the answer as well. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, the question was in two parts. The second part was about the government’s record in this respect. I noted, probably a bit prematurely, in another minister’s answer that under the previous government, prisoners escaped from the Supreme Court building and car-jacked cars along St Georges Terrace. I remember the day well because I was a prosecutor at the time and I locked my door. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Willagee, I formally call you to order for the first time. I once again suggest to members on both sides of this place that a person has asked a question and I expect that he will get an answer. I hope that he will get an answer. Continual interjections from both sides of this place do not help the member to get an answer and do not help the Attorney General to provide an answer. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we track on a monthly basis key performance indicators for both escapes and absconds from court buildings through the court security and custodial services contract. What I can say without having that particular file with me at the moment, which file I have bequeathed, is that, under this government, the level of escapes from both the prison system and the courts under the CS and CS contract is at a historical record low. That is just a matter of fact. On the specific incident — Ms M.M. Quirk : What are you doing in relation to the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : What are we doing in relation to the few? First of all, the point of this answer is that there are far fewer of the few under this government than there were under the previous government. Mr J.R. Quigley : The point is: are you going to release the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : I recall in broad terms the nature of the incident in Geraldton and I certainly asked my department to review the circumstances of that incident. I cannot recall with enormous specifics the result of that review. What I can say is that the explanations based on the review of that incident that came to me from the department satisfied me that there was no major fall down in departmental procedure in that situation. I will revisit that for the benefit of the member for Mindarie and to reassure myself of that fact, but I very much recall seeing the information that came up from the department and that it did not cause me any great alarm. It is the case, particularly in the court environment where defendants are not always under manacled guard, unlike other systems in the world, that incidents do happen from time to time. I recall from the review of that incident that my department undertook that it did not cause me enormous concern. Obviously it has not caused the member for Mindarie enormous concern because he has raised the question a year after the event Mr J.R. Quigley : Because there has been a repetition of the incident and you have not secured the court. Mr C.C. PORTER : I will go back and consider the explanations and answers that were given to me from the department and reassure myself on this.
Mr C.C. PORTER replied: (1)–(4) There are two general parts to that question. The second part of the question was about whether the performance of this government on escapes — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Cockburn, the member for Mindarie has asked the question. I am sure he wants to hear the answer. I would like to hear the answer as well. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, the question was in two parts. The second part was about the government’s record in this respect. I noted, probably a bit prematurely, in another minister’s answer that under the previous government, prisoners escaped from the Supreme Court building and car-jacked cars along St Georges Terrace. I remember the day well because I was a prosecutor at the time and I locked my door. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Willagee, I formally call you to order for the first time. I once again suggest to members on both sides of this place that a person has asked a question and I expect that he will get an answer. I hope that he will get an answer. Continual interjections from both sides of this place do not help the member to get an answer and do not help the Attorney General to provide an answer. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we track on a monthly basis key performance indicators for both escapes and absconds from court buildings through the court security and custodial services contract. What I can say without having that particular file with me at the moment, which file I have bequeathed, is that, under this government, the level of escapes from both the prison system and the courts under the CS and CS contract is at a historical record low. That is just a matter of fact. On the specific incident — Ms M.M. Quirk : What are you doing in relation to the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : What are we doing in relation to the few? First of all, the point of this answer is that there are far fewer of the few under this government than there were under the previous government. Mr J.R. Quigley : The point is: are you going to release the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : I recall in broad terms the nature of the incident in Geraldton and I certainly asked my department to review the circumstances of that incident. I cannot recall with enormous specifics the result of that review. What I can say is that the explanations based on the review of that incident that came to me from the department satisfied me that there was no major fall down in departmental procedure in that situation. I will revisit that for the benefit of the member for Mindarie and to reassure myself of that fact, but I very much recall seeing the information that came up from the department and that it did not cause me any great alarm. It is the case, particularly in the court environment where defendants are not always under manacled guard, unlike other systems in the world, that incidents do happen from time to time. I recall from the review of that incident that my department undertook that it did not cause me enormous concern. Obviously it has not caused the member for Mindarie enormous concern because he has raised the question a year after the event Mr J.R. Quigley : Because there has been a repetition of the incident and you have not secured the court. Mr C.C. PORTER : I will go back and consider the explanations and answers that were given to me from the department and reassure myself on this.
(1)–(4) There are two general parts to that question. The second part of the question was about whether the performance of this government on escapes — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Cockburn, the member for Mindarie has asked the question. I am sure he wants to hear the answer. I would like to hear the answer as well. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, the question was in two parts. The second part was about the government’s record in this respect. I noted, probably a bit prematurely, in another minister’s answer that under the previous government, prisoners escaped from the Supreme Court building and car-jacked cars along St Georges Terrace. I remember the day well because I was a prosecutor at the time and I locked my door. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Willagee, I formally call you to order for the first time. I once again suggest to members on both sides of this place that a person has asked a question and I expect that he will get an answer. I hope that he will get an answer. Continual interjections from both sides of this place do not help the member to get an answer and do not help the Attorney General to provide an answer. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we track on a monthly basis key performance indicators for both escapes and absconds from court buildings through the court security and custodial services contract. What I can say without having that particular file with me at the moment, which file I have bequeathed, is that, under this government, the level of escapes from both the prison system and the courts under the CS and CS contract is at a historical record low. That is just a matter of fact. On the specific incident — Ms M.M. Quirk : What are you doing in relation to the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : What are we doing in relation to the few? First of all, the point of this answer is that there are far fewer of the few under this government than there were under the previous government. Mr J.R. Quigley : The point is: are you going to release the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : I recall in broad terms the nature of the incident in Geraldton and I certainly asked my department to review the circumstances of that incident. I cannot recall with enormous specifics the result of that review. What I can say is that the explanations based on the review of that incident that came to me from the department satisfied me that there was no major fall down in departmental procedure in that situation. I will revisit that for the benefit of the member for Mindarie and to reassure myself of that fact, but I very much recall seeing the information that came up from the department and that it did not cause me any great alarm. It is the case, particularly in the court environment where defendants are not always under manacled guard, unlike other systems in the world, that incidents do happen from time to time. I recall from the review of that incident that my department undertook that it did not cause me enormous concern. Obviously it has not caused the member for Mindarie enormous concern because he has raised the question a year after the event Mr J.R. Quigley : Because there has been a repetition of the incident and you have not secured the court. Mr C.C. PORTER : I will go back and consider the explanations and answers that were given to me from the department and reassure myself on this.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Cockburn, the member for Mindarie has asked the question. I am sure he wants to hear the answer. I would like to hear the answer as well. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, the question was in two parts. The second part was about the government’s record in this respect. I noted, probably a bit prematurely, in another minister’s answer that under the previous government, prisoners escaped from the Supreme Court building and car-jacked cars along St Georges Terrace. I remember the day well because I was a prosecutor at the time and I locked my door. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Willagee, I formally call you to order for the first time. I once again suggest to members on both sides of this place that a person has asked a question and I expect that he will get an answer. I hope that he will get an answer. Continual interjections from both sides of this place do not help the member to get an answer and do not help the Attorney General to provide an answer. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we track on a monthly basis key performance indicators for both escapes and absconds from court buildings through the court security and custodial services contract. What I can say without having that particular file with me at the moment, which file I have bequeathed, is that, under this government, the level of escapes from both the prison system and the courts under the CS and CS contract is at a historical record low. That is just a matter of fact. On the specific incident — Ms M.M. Quirk : What are you doing in relation to the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : What are we doing in relation to the few? First of all, the point of this answer is that there are far fewer of the few under this government than there were under the previous government. Mr J.R. Quigley : The point is: are you going to release the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : I recall in broad terms the nature of the incident in Geraldton and I certainly asked my department to review the circumstances of that incident. I cannot recall with enormous specifics the result of that review. What I can say is that the explanations based on the review of that incident that came to me from the department satisfied me that there was no major fall down in departmental procedure in that situation. I will revisit that for the benefit of the member for Mindarie and to reassure myself of that fact, but I very much recall seeing the information that came up from the department and that it did not cause me any great alarm. It is the case, particularly in the court environment where defendants are not always under manacled guard, unlike other systems in the world, that incidents do happen from time to time. I recall from the review of that incident that my department undertook that it did not cause me enormous concern. Obviously it has not caused the member for Mindarie enormous concern because he has raised the question a year after the event Mr J.R. Quigley : Because there has been a repetition of the incident and you have not secured the court. Mr C.C. PORTER : I will go back and consider the explanations and answers that were given to me from the department and reassure myself on this.
The SPEAKER : Member for Cockburn, the member for Mindarie has asked the question. I am sure he wants to hear the answer. I would like to hear the answer as well. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, the question was in two parts. The second part was about the government’s record in this respect. I noted, probably a bit prematurely, in another minister’s answer that under the previous government, prisoners escaped from the Supreme Court building and car-jacked cars along St Georges Terrace. I remember the day well because I was a prosecutor at the time and I locked my door. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Willagee, I formally call you to order for the first time. I once again suggest to members on both sides of this place that a person has asked a question and I expect that he will get an answer. I hope that he will get an answer. Continual interjections from both sides of this place do not help the member to get an answer and do not help the Attorney General to provide an answer. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we track on a monthly basis key performance indicators for both escapes and absconds from court buildings through the court security and custodial services contract. What I can say without having that particular file with me at the moment, which file I have bequeathed, is that, under this government, the level of escapes from both the prison system and the courts under the CS and CS contract is at a historical record low. That is just a matter of fact. On the specific incident — Ms M.M. Quirk : What are you doing in relation to the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : What are we doing in relation to the few? First of all, the point of this answer is that there are far fewer of the few under this government than there were under the previous government. Mr J.R. Quigley : The point is: are you going to release the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : I recall in broad terms the nature of the incident in Geraldton and I certainly asked my department to review the circumstances of that incident. I cannot recall with enormous specifics the result of that review. What I can say is that the explanations based on the review of that incident that came to me from the department satisfied me that there was no major fall down in departmental procedure in that situation. I will revisit that for the benefit of the member for Mindarie and to reassure myself of that fact, but I very much recall seeing the information that came up from the department and that it did not cause me any great alarm. It is the case, particularly in the court environment where defendants are not always under manacled guard, unlike other systems in the world, that incidents do happen from time to time. I recall from the review of that incident that my department undertook that it did not cause me enormous concern. Obviously it has not caused the member for Mindarie enormous concern because he has raised the question a year after the event Mr J.R. Quigley : Because there has been a repetition of the incident and you have not secured the court. Mr C.C. PORTER : I will go back and consider the explanations and answers that were given to me from the department and reassure myself on this.
Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, the question was in two parts. The second part was about the government’s record in this respect. I noted, probably a bit prematurely, in another minister’s answer that under the previous government, prisoners escaped from the Supreme Court building and car-jacked cars along St Georges Terrace. I remember the day well because I was a prosecutor at the time and I locked my door. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Willagee, I formally call you to order for the first time. I once again suggest to members on both sides of this place that a person has asked a question and I expect that he will get an answer. I hope that he will get an answer. Continual interjections from both sides of this place do not help the member to get an answer and do not help the Attorney General to provide an answer. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we track on a monthly basis key performance indicators for both escapes and absconds from court buildings through the court security and custodial services contract. What I can say without having that particular file with me at the moment, which file I have bequeathed, is that, under this government, the level of escapes from both the prison system and the courts under the CS and CS contract is at a historical record low. That is just a matter of fact. On the specific incident — Ms M.M. Quirk : What are you doing in relation to the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : What are we doing in relation to the few? First of all, the point of this answer is that there are far fewer of the few under this government than there were under the previous government. Mr J.R. Quigley : The point is: are you going to release the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : I recall in broad terms the nature of the incident in Geraldton and I certainly asked my department to review the circumstances of that incident. I cannot recall with enormous specifics the result of that review. What I can say is that the explanations based on the review of that incident that came to me from the department satisfied me that there was no major fall down in departmental procedure in that situation. I will revisit that for the benefit of the member for Mindarie and to reassure myself of that fact, but I very much recall seeing the information that came up from the department and that it did not cause me any great alarm. It is the case, particularly in the court environment where defendants are not always under manacled guard, unlike other systems in the world, that incidents do happen from time to time. I recall from the review of that incident that my department undertook that it did not cause me enormous concern. Obviously it has not caused the member for Mindarie enormous concern because he has raised the question a year after the event Mr J.R. Quigley : Because there has been a repetition of the incident and you have not secured the court. Mr C.C. PORTER : I will go back and consider the explanations and answers that were given to me from the department and reassure myself on this.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Member for Willagee, I formally call you to order for the first time. I once again suggest to members on both sides of this place that a person has asked a question and I expect that he will get an answer. I hope that he will get an answer. Continual interjections from both sides of this place do not help the member to get an answer and do not help the Attorney General to provide an answer. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we track on a monthly basis key performance indicators for both escapes and absconds from court buildings through the court security and custodial services contract. What I can say without having that particular file with me at the moment, which file I have bequeathed, is that, under this government, the level of escapes from both the prison system and the courts under the CS and CS contract is at a historical record low. That is just a matter of fact. On the specific incident — Ms M.M. Quirk : What are you doing in relation to the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : What are we doing in relation to the few? First of all, the point of this answer is that there are far fewer of the few under this government than there were under the previous government. Mr J.R. Quigley : The point is: are you going to release the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : I recall in broad terms the nature of the incident in Geraldton and I certainly asked my department to review the circumstances of that incident. I cannot recall with enormous specifics the result of that review. What I can say is that the explanations based on the review of that incident that came to me from the department satisfied me that there was no major fall down in departmental procedure in that situation. I will revisit that for the benefit of the member for Mindarie and to reassure myself of that fact, but I very much recall seeing the information that came up from the department and that it did not cause me any great alarm. It is the case, particularly in the court environment where defendants are not always under manacled guard, unlike other systems in the world, that incidents do happen from time to time. I recall from the review of that incident that my department undertook that it did not cause me enormous concern. Obviously it has not caused the member for Mindarie enormous concern because he has raised the question a year after the event Mr J.R. Quigley : Because there has been a repetition of the incident and you have not secured the court. Mr C.C. PORTER : I will go back and consider the explanations and answers that were given to me from the department and reassure myself on this.
The SPEAKER : Member for Willagee, I formally call you to order for the first time. I once again suggest to members on both sides of this place that a person has asked a question and I expect that he will get an answer. I hope that he will get an answer. Continual interjections from both sides of this place do not help the member to get an answer and do not help the Attorney General to provide an answer. Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we track on a monthly basis key performance indicators for both escapes and absconds from court buildings through the court security and custodial services contract. What I can say without having that particular file with me at the moment, which file I have bequeathed, is that, under this government, the level of escapes from both the prison system and the courts under the CS and CS contract is at a historical record low. That is just a matter of fact. On the specific incident — Ms M.M. Quirk : What are you doing in relation to the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : What are we doing in relation to the few? First of all, the point of this answer is that there are far fewer of the few under this government than there were under the previous government. Mr J.R. Quigley : The point is: are you going to release the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : I recall in broad terms the nature of the incident in Geraldton and I certainly asked my department to review the circumstances of that incident. I cannot recall with enormous specifics the result of that review. What I can say is that the explanations based on the review of that incident that came to me from the department satisfied me that there was no major fall down in departmental procedure in that situation. I will revisit that for the benefit of the member for Mindarie and to reassure myself of that fact, but I very much recall seeing the information that came up from the department and that it did not cause me any great alarm. It is the case, particularly in the court environment where defendants are not always under manacled guard, unlike other systems in the world, that incidents do happen from time to time. I recall from the review of that incident that my department undertook that it did not cause me enormous concern. Obviously it has not caused the member for Mindarie enormous concern because he has raised the question a year after the event Mr J.R. Quigley : Because there has been a repetition of the incident and you have not secured the court. Mr C.C. PORTER : I will go back and consider the explanations and answers that were given to me from the department and reassure myself on this.
Mr C.C. PORTER : Indeed, we track on a monthly basis key performance indicators for both escapes and absconds from court buildings through the court security and custodial services contract. What I can say without having that particular file with me at the moment, which file I have bequeathed, is that, under this government, the level of escapes from both the prison system and the courts under the CS and CS contract is at a historical record low. That is just a matter of fact. On the specific incident — Ms M.M. Quirk : What are you doing in relation to the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : What are we doing in relation to the few? First of all, the point of this answer is that there are far fewer of the few under this government than there were under the previous government. Mr J.R. Quigley : The point is: are you going to release the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : I recall in broad terms the nature of the incident in Geraldton and I certainly asked my department to review the circumstances of that incident. I cannot recall with enormous specifics the result of that review. What I can say is that the explanations based on the review of that incident that came to me from the department satisfied me that there was no major fall down in departmental procedure in that situation. I will revisit that for the benefit of the member for Mindarie and to reassure myself of that fact, but I very much recall seeing the information that came up from the department and that it did not cause me any great alarm. It is the case, particularly in the court environment where defendants are not always under manacled guard, unlike other systems in the world, that incidents do happen from time to time. I recall from the review of that incident that my department undertook that it did not cause me enormous concern. Obviously it has not caused the member for Mindarie enormous concern because he has raised the question a year after the event Mr J.R. Quigley : Because there has been a repetition of the incident and you have not secured the court. Mr C.C. PORTER : I will go back and consider the explanations and answers that were given to me from the department and reassure myself on this.
Ms M.M. Quirk : What are you doing in relation to the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : What are we doing in relation to the few? First of all, the point of this answer is that there are far fewer of the few under this government than there were under the previous government. Mr J.R. Quigley : The point is: are you going to release the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : I recall in broad terms the nature of the incident in Geraldton and I certainly asked my department to review the circumstances of that incident. I cannot recall with enormous specifics the result of that review. What I can say is that the explanations based on the review of that incident that came to me from the department satisfied me that there was no major fall down in departmental procedure in that situation. I will revisit that for the benefit of the member for Mindarie and to reassure myself of that fact, but I very much recall seeing the information that came up from the department and that it did not cause me any great alarm. It is the case, particularly in the court environment where defendants are not always under manacled guard, unlike other systems in the world, that incidents do happen from time to time. I recall from the review of that incident that my department undertook that it did not cause me enormous concern. Obviously it has not caused the member for Mindarie enormous concern because he has raised the question a year after the event Mr J.R. Quigley : Because there has been a repetition of the incident and you have not secured the court. Mr C.C. PORTER : I will go back and consider the explanations and answers that were given to me from the department and reassure myself on this.
Mr C.C. PORTER : What are we doing in relation to the few? First of all, the point of this answer is that there are far fewer of the few under this government than there were under the previous government. Mr J.R. Quigley : The point is: are you going to release the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : I recall in broad terms the nature of the incident in Geraldton and I certainly asked my department to review the circumstances of that incident. I cannot recall with enormous specifics the result of that review. What I can say is that the explanations based on the review of that incident that came to me from the department satisfied me that there was no major fall down in departmental procedure in that situation. I will revisit that for the benefit of the member for Mindarie and to reassure myself of that fact, but I very much recall seeing the information that came up from the department and that it did not cause me any great alarm. It is the case, particularly in the court environment where defendants are not always under manacled guard, unlike other systems in the world, that incidents do happen from time to time. I recall from the review of that incident that my department undertook that it did not cause me enormous concern. Obviously it has not caused the member for Mindarie enormous concern because he has raised the question a year after the event Mr J.R. Quigley : Because there has been a repetition of the incident and you have not secured the court. Mr C.C. PORTER : I will go back and consider the explanations and answers that were given to me from the department and reassure myself on this.
Mr J.R. Quigley : The point is: are you going to release the review? Mr C.C. PORTER : I recall in broad terms the nature of the incident in Geraldton and I certainly asked my department to review the circumstances of that incident. I cannot recall with enormous specifics the result of that review. What I can say is that the explanations based on the review of that incident that came to me from the department satisfied me that there was no major fall down in departmental procedure in that situation. I will revisit that for the benefit of the member for Mindarie and to reassure myself of that fact, but I very much recall seeing the information that came up from the department and that it did not cause me any great alarm. It is the case, particularly in the court environment where defendants are not always under manacled guard, unlike other systems in the world, that incidents do happen from time to time. I recall from the review of that incident that my department undertook that it did not cause me enormous concern. Obviously it has not caused the member for Mindarie enormous concern because he has raised the question a year after the event Mr J.R. Quigley : Because there has been a repetition of the incident and you have not secured the court. Mr C.C. PORTER : I will go back and consider the explanations and answers that were given to me from the department and reassure myself on this.
Mr C.C. PORTER : I recall in broad terms the nature of the incident in Geraldton and I certainly asked my department to review the circumstances of that incident. I cannot recall with enormous specifics the result of that review. What I can say is that the explanations based on the review of that incident that came to me from the department satisfied me that there was no major fall down in departmental procedure in that situation. I will revisit that for the benefit of the member for Mindarie and to reassure myself of that fact, but I very much recall seeing the information that came up from the department and that it did not cause me any great alarm. It is the case, particularly in the court environment where defendants are not always under manacled guard, unlike other systems in the world, that incidents do happen from time to time. I recall from the review of that incident that my department undertook that it did not cause me enormous concern. Obviously it has not caused the member for Mindarie enormous concern because he has raised the question a year after the event Mr J.R. Quigley : Because there has been a repetition of the incident and you have not secured the court. Mr C.C. PORTER : I will go back and consider the explanations and answers that were given to me from the department and reassure myself on this.
Mr J.R. Quigley : Because there has been a repetition of the incident and you have not secured the court. Mr C.C. PORTER : I will go back and consider the explanations and answers that were given to me from the department and reassure myself on this.
Mr C.C. PORTER : I will go back and consider the explanations and answers that were given to me from the department and reassure myself on this.
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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.