❓ Mr. Redman questions the Minister for Corrective Services on plans to prevent prison breakouts and manage overcrowding, given recent events and past government decisions. The Minister responds by highlighting investments in new beds and facilities, criticising the previous government's inaction.
AnsweredQoN 525Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
GREENOUGH REGIONAL PRISON —
CRITICAL INCIDENT
525. Mr D.T. REDMAN to the Minister for
Corrective Services:
I refer to the
minister's comments on 5 April last year in The West Australian that he had directed his department to identify those people who should not be
in prison; the Premier's comment the following day that he had
expressed some views on this that were not government policy; his discussion
last year to shelve the new prison announced by the previous government; and
the recent unprecedented breakout of 10 prisoners under his watch. Given that
he has had two budgets, has been in government for 18 months and claims to be
tough on crime, just what is his plan to ensure that this record breakout does
not happen again and he can manage a prison population pushing 7 000?
CRITICAL INCIDENT
525. Mr D.T. REDMAN to the Minister for
Corrective Services:
I refer to the
minister's comments on 5 April last year in The West Australian that he had directed his department to identify those people who should not be
in prison; the Premier's comment the following day that he had
expressed some views on this that were not government policy; his discussion
last year to shelve the new prison announced by the previous government; and
the recent unprecedented breakout of 10 prisoners under his watch. Given that
he has had two budgets, has been in government for 18 months and claims to be
tough on crime, just what is his plan to ensure that this record breakout does
not happen again and he can manage a prison population pushing 7 000?
AnswerView source ↗
Maybe the former
Minister for Corrective Services, who was responsible for overseeing Greenough —
Mr D.T. Redman :
Six years ago. What's your plan?
The SPEAKER :
I would like to hear it, member for Warren–Blackwood. If you keep
interjecting, we cannot.
Mr F.M. LOGAN :
He was overseeing Greenough at the time when the Office of the Inspector of Custodial
Services gave him very clear advice on what to do and he failed to do that.
If he had been
listening to what I said yesterday, he would have heard that we have in place a
significant plan. The first thing we had to do, as I told him yesterday, was
deal with the record overcrowding in our prison system that we inherited from
his government. Immediately, we moved to introduce 212 beds in the September
budget last year to address the immediate overcrowding. That was the first
investment that had been made in the corrections service since 2013. He might
have overlooked the fact that we committed $130 million in this year's
budget to continue to expand the prison system—160 new beds in Bunbury
and 512 new beds in Casuarina. I do not know how that slipped past the member
for Warren–Blackwood. He has asked what the government is doing to deal
with prison overcrowding; it is all there in the budget. I do not know how, as
a former corrections minister, he missed that point.
Mr D.T. Redman interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Warren–Blackwood.
Mr P. Papalia interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Minister for Tourism.
Mr F.M. LOGAN :
If the member were to look at what we will have done between the time we
inherited government in March last year until 2020 —
Mr D.T. Redman interjected.
The SPEAKER :
I will give you one point: I call you to order for the first time.
Mr F.M. LOGAN :
If the member were to look at the budget papers to see what we will do from the
time we inherited government in March last year to 2020, he will see that the
government will have delivered nearly 900 new beds across the prison estate.
The member cannot possibly say that the government is not doing anything. The
former government had made no investment since 2013. We will be delivering on
nearly 900 new beds. Yesterday, I made it very clear that the former coalition
government at the 2017 election promised more than $1 billion for a new prison.
There was no money there for it. The Leader of the Opposition, as Treasurer,
said that there was. There was no money there for it. All it had in the budget
was $1.5 million for a prison design that had not been done. That is all it
had. The member for Warren–Blackwood has the audacity to ask what this
government is doing to fix up the mess. It is putting 900 new beds into the
system, which the former government did not do. It is putting into the system
both male and female alcohol and drug facilities to address methamphetamine
addiction, which is something else that the former government did not do. Is
there anything else the member for Warren–Blackwood would like to ask
me about?
Minister for Corrective Services, who was responsible for overseeing Greenough —
Mr D.T. Redman :
Six years ago. What's your plan?
The SPEAKER :
I would like to hear it, member for Warren–Blackwood. If you keep
interjecting, we cannot.
Mr F.M. LOGAN :
He was overseeing Greenough at the time when the Office of the Inspector of Custodial
Services gave him very clear advice on what to do and he failed to do that.
If he had been
listening to what I said yesterday, he would have heard that we have in place a
significant plan. The first thing we had to do, as I told him yesterday, was
deal with the record overcrowding in our prison system that we inherited from
his government. Immediately, we moved to introduce 212 beds in the September
budget last year to address the immediate overcrowding. That was the first
investment that had been made in the corrections service since 2013. He might
have overlooked the fact that we committed $130 million in this year's
budget to continue to expand the prison system—160 new beds in Bunbury
and 512 new beds in Casuarina. I do not know how that slipped past the member
for Warren–Blackwood. He has asked what the government is doing to deal
with prison overcrowding; it is all there in the budget. I do not know how, as
a former corrections minister, he missed that point.
Mr D.T. Redman interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Warren–Blackwood.
Mr P. Papalia interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Minister for Tourism.
Mr F.M. LOGAN :
If the member were to look at what we will have done between the time we
inherited government in March last year until 2020 —
Mr D.T. Redman interjected.
The SPEAKER :
I will give you one point: I call you to order for the first time.
Mr F.M. LOGAN :
If the member were to look at the budget papers to see what we will do from the
time we inherited government in March last year to 2020, he will see that the
government will have delivered nearly 900 new beds across the prison estate.
The member cannot possibly say that the government is not doing anything. The
former government had made no investment since 2013. We will be delivering on
nearly 900 new beds. Yesterday, I made it very clear that the former coalition
government at the 2017 election promised more than $1 billion for a new prison.
There was no money there for it. The Leader of the Opposition, as Treasurer,
said that there was. There was no money there for it. All it had in the budget
was $1.5 million for a prison design that had not been done. That is all it
had. The member for Warren–Blackwood has the audacity to ask what this
government is doing to fix up the mess. It is putting 900 new beds into the
system, which the former government did not do. It is putting into the system
both male and female alcohol and drug facilities to address methamphetamine
addiction, which is something else that the former government did not do. Is
there anything else the member for Warren–Blackwood would like to ask
me about?
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