❓ A parliamentary question regarding the Wandoo Rehabilitation Prison's success after one year, focusing on its role in the McGowan government's methamphetamine action plan. The Minister's answer highlights positive outcomes, cost-effectiveness, and contrasts it with the previous government's approach.
AnsweredQoN 652Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
METHAMPHETAMINE ACTION
PLAN — WANDOO REHABILITATION PRISON
652. Mr M.J. FOLKARD to the Minister for Corrective
Services:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's unprecedented methamphetamine action plan, which has
delivered the country's first of its kind alcohol and other drug
treatment prison for women. Can the minister outline to the house how, one year
after operations commenced, the Wandoo Rehabilitation Prison continues to help
women turn their lives around?
PLAN — WANDOO REHABILITATION PRISON
652. Mr M.J. FOLKARD to the Minister for Corrective
Services:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's unprecedented methamphetamine action plan, which has
delivered the country's first of its kind alcohol and other drug
treatment prison for women. Can the minister outline to the house how, one year
after operations commenced, the Wandoo Rehabilitation Prison continues to help
women turn their lives around?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Burns Beach
for his question and his commitment to addressing the issues of law and order
not only in his electorate, but also across the state. Last night, the private
member's motion was on law and order. The Minister for Police and I both
referred to the great work that is being done by the McGowan government on the
methamphetamine action plan—a commitment that we made before we came
into government. Part of that meth action plan was our commitment to address
the issue of people who end up in the criminal system due to drug addiction
using their time inside the prison to address those physical needs. We made a commitment
to deliver an alcohol and drug facility for females, and one for males as well.
In speaking to the motion last
night, the member for Churchlands did not know anything about this. I cannot
understand why, because an awful lot has been said. Only on Tuesday, there was
a very good, in-depth article on Channel Seven's Today Tonight about the good work that has been done at Wandoo, our first alcohol and drug
prison for females, and celebrating its first year of operation. Remember,
members, this was a decision to bring back a prison from private hands, run by
Serco, into public operation. I inform members that after one year of
operation, despite the fact that we are dealing with difficult and demanding
prisoners with serious drug addiction problems—quite a complex prison—it
is still cheaper to run in public hands than in private hands. This is a great
outcome. On the television program last night, which on its Facebook site has
had 15 000 views, these are some of the comments of the general public about
what we are doing with the alcohol and drug prison. According to my notes,
there were comments such as —
This is fantastic! Well done, I really
do wish these ladies all the best.
I applaud these ladies, and the
system for developing a program that works. There should be so many more across
every state. I'd pay double tax to have these kinds of facilities set
up.
Other comments included ''So great!'', ''Hallelujah!''
and ''Fantastic!'' There were also comments on the television
program by the prisoners themselves, to give us a bit of an insight, member for
Churchlands, into what they are feeling as they go through tackling their
addictions—something that the member could not even get his head around
in terms of policy development. For example, Sarah, one of the prisoners, said,
according to my notes —
I
would probably say that it is the most challenging, but also the most rewarding
journey of my life being here.
Another prisoner said —
I know it's going to be
challenging, but the time is now. I've wasted enough time in my life.
Charmane, another prisoner, said —
I'm a completely different
person.
So
far, we have had 26 graduates from that prison, and only one has fallen off the
wagon. The most important thing, and one of the most unusual things in the
corrections systems across the whole of Australia, is that after one year ,
not only have all prisoners been drug free, but so has the prison. It has been
completely drug free. Ask anybody in the corrections system across Australia,
and they will say that that is remarkable. It is part of our drug strategy that
we have been putting in place since 2017, which the Liberal–National
government did nothing about when in power. It had had no drug strategy in
place since 2014. It allowed drugs to run rife through our prisons. It put in
no money to tackle the scourge of drugs in our prisons, nor did it try to stop
them getting in. Since we have been in office, we have put more people in place
intercepting those drugs. We have more dogs intercepting those drugs. We have
had a fantastic result at intercepting people who have been trying to get drugs
in both Bunbury Regional Prison and Hakea Prison. This is something completely
different from what members opposite did when they were in office. They allowed
our jails to be awash with drugs. They should hang their heads in shame.
for his question and his commitment to addressing the issues of law and order
not only in his electorate, but also across the state. Last night, the private
member's motion was on law and order. The Minister for Police and I both
referred to the great work that is being done by the McGowan government on the
methamphetamine action plan—a commitment that we made before we came
into government. Part of that meth action plan was our commitment to address
the issue of people who end up in the criminal system due to drug addiction
using their time inside the prison to address those physical needs. We made a commitment
to deliver an alcohol and drug facility for females, and one for males as well.
In speaking to the motion last
night, the member for Churchlands did not know anything about this. I cannot
understand why, because an awful lot has been said. Only on Tuesday, there was
a very good, in-depth article on Channel Seven's Today Tonight about the good work that has been done at Wandoo, our first alcohol and drug
prison for females, and celebrating its first year of operation. Remember,
members, this was a decision to bring back a prison from private hands, run by
Serco, into public operation. I inform members that after one year of
operation, despite the fact that we are dealing with difficult and demanding
prisoners with serious drug addiction problems—quite a complex prison—it
is still cheaper to run in public hands than in private hands. This is a great
outcome. On the television program last night, which on its Facebook site has
had 15 000 views, these are some of the comments of the general public about
what we are doing with the alcohol and drug prison. According to my notes,
there were comments such as —
This is fantastic! Well done, I really
do wish these ladies all the best.
I applaud these ladies, and the
system for developing a program that works. There should be so many more across
every state. I'd pay double tax to have these kinds of facilities set
up.
Other comments included ''So great!'', ''Hallelujah!''
and ''Fantastic!'' There were also comments on the television
program by the prisoners themselves, to give us a bit of an insight, member for
Churchlands, into what they are feeling as they go through tackling their
addictions—something that the member could not even get his head around
in terms of policy development. For example, Sarah, one of the prisoners, said,
according to my notes —
I
would probably say that it is the most challenging, but also the most rewarding
journey of my life being here.
Another prisoner said —
I know it's going to be
challenging, but the time is now. I've wasted enough time in my life.
Charmane, another prisoner, said —
I'm a completely different
person.
So
far, we have had 26 graduates from that prison, and only one has fallen off the
wagon. The most important thing, and one of the most unusual things in the
corrections systems across the whole of Australia, is that after one year ,
not only have all prisoners been drug free, but so has the prison. It has been
completely drug free. Ask anybody in the corrections system across Australia,
and they will say that that is remarkable. It is part of our drug strategy that
we have been putting in place since 2017, which the Liberal–National
government did nothing about when in power. It had had no drug strategy in
place since 2014. It allowed drugs to run rife through our prisons. It put in
no money to tackle the scourge of drugs in our prisons, nor did it try to stop
them getting in. Since we have been in office, we have put more people in place
intercepting those drugs. We have more dogs intercepting those drugs. We have
had a fantastic result at intercepting people who have been trying to get drugs
in both Bunbury Regional Prison and Hakea Prison. This is something completely
different from what members opposite did when they were in office. They allowed
our jails to be awash with drugs. They should hang their heads in shame.
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