❓ The Premier outlines steps to improve safety, security, and welfare at Banksia Hill Detention Centre, including increased staffing, legislative changes, Indigenous consultation, and therapeutic models of care.
AnsweredQoN 430Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
BANKSIA HILL DETENTION
CENTRE — REFORM
430. Mr S.N. AUBREY to the Premier:
Before I ask my question, I acknowledge
two students from St Mary's Anglican Girls' School in my
electorate who are doing work experience—Olivia Lingham and Anna Mackie—and
are in the gallery today.
My
question is to the Premier. I refer to the Cook Labor government's commitment
to addressing Western Australia's long-term youth detention
needs. Can the Premier outline to the house what steps are being taken to
improve safety, security and welfare at Banksia Hill Detention Centre?
CENTRE — REFORM
430. Mr S.N. AUBREY to the Premier:
Before I ask my question, I acknowledge
two students from St Mary's Anglican Girls' School in my
electorate who are doing work experience—Olivia Lingham and Anna Mackie—and
are in the gallery today.
My
question is to the Premier. I refer to the Cook Labor government's commitment
to addressing Western Australia's long-term youth detention
needs. Can the Premier outline to the house what steps are being taken to
improve safety, security and welfare at Banksia Hill Detention Centre?
AnswerView source ↗
I would like to acknowledge all the
young adults who are in the gallery today. I met some of the young leaders from Joseph Banks Secondary College earlier. It is
great to see them here, looking at our Parliament, because young people
are our future. This state provides many great opportunities for young people
to take advantage of our great lifestyle and everything that this state has to
offer.
But we have to acknowledge that some
kids are confronted by complex issues and that they miss out on those
opportunities as a result of those complex issues. That is the reason, from
time to time, it is necessary to detain juveniles
who have repeatedly perpetrated very serious and frequently violent crimes. For
this reason, they need to be separated from the wider community to
ensure a more intensive program to get them back on an even keel and bring them
back into community life to live rewarding and exciting lives. That is the
reason we have undertaken the decisions we have announced today in relation to
Banksia Hill Detention Centre. This morning, I joined the Minister for
Corrective Services, Paul Papalia, to announce a plan for Banksia Hill. Above
all else, a consistent message of this government is that we want to continue
to make Banksia Hill safe for the staff and safe for the juveniles who are in
that facility. That is our number one priority. Once the facility is safe and
secure, we will be able to properly engage young people in rehabilitation,
education and positive activities. It is important to note that these changes
will not happen overnight as they are complex issues, but we are confident of
the trajectory that we are now on in relation to the situation we have at
Banksia Hill.
Firstly, we are taking immediate
action to improve safety, security and welfare at Banksia Hill. That involves
additional prison officers to provide greater security, which will enable youth
custodial officers to focus on rehabilitation, mentoring and delivering the
programs that we want to see brought to life in that facility. Legislative
changes will be brought in to enable this, as well as specialised training and
working with children checks for prison officers employed at the centre. The
additional staff will improve the safety and security of those in detention and
increase their out-of-cell hours. Consultation has begun with Indigenous
leaders in the community who will provide
advice as a new model of care is adopted. We have listened to feedback from
Aboriginal community members to enable the elders in that community to
help. As part of this, Aboriginal mediators are being engaged to assist with the mentoring and safe resolution
of critical incidents. In addition, the Department of Justice will appoint an Aboriginal health service to provide culturally appropriate care for young
people at the facility. Discussions are also underway with the Telethon Kids
Institute to provide expertise and advice into a range of neurodevelopmental
issues such as foetal alcohol spectrum disorder. This will help to inform a model
of care for each individual's needs. I have been at pains to point that
out. Each kid there has their own story and their own complex reasons for
finding themselves in this position. We need to make this facility safe and we
need to employ a therapeutic model of care to make sure that we can give these
kids the best possible start in life. We will continue to make sure that we
work to understand what the best infrastructure needs for this facility are,
whether it is part of that facility or elsewhere,
whether it is in remand or other suitable services. In an ideal world, no
juvenile would be in detention, but we
do not live in an ideal world; we live in the real world. There are juveniles
who require intervention and temporary separation
from the community. There are very complex and varied reasons for this. We want
Banksia Hill Detention Centre to be a world-leading institution for
juvenile detention and rehabilitation.
I commend the Minister for
Corrective Services for the work he has done so far and I know we will do more.
A lot of it is leading from the work already
done by this government and the previous minister. We will continue to make sure that we do everything we can to make this facility safe for the staff and
the detainees and, above all else, we will
work with the community to make sure that we bring new models of care with
these services because we know that we can make sure these kids will
live happy, rewarding lives in the community, and they just need assistance to
get there.
young adults who are in the gallery today. I met some of the young leaders from Joseph Banks Secondary College earlier. It is
great to see them here, looking at our Parliament, because young people
are our future. This state provides many great opportunities for young people
to take advantage of our great lifestyle and everything that this state has to
offer.
But we have to acknowledge that some
kids are confronted by complex issues and that they miss out on those
opportunities as a result of those complex issues. That is the reason, from
time to time, it is necessary to detain juveniles
who have repeatedly perpetrated very serious and frequently violent crimes. For
this reason, they need to be separated from the wider community to
ensure a more intensive program to get them back on an even keel and bring them
back into community life to live rewarding and exciting lives. That is the
reason we have undertaken the decisions we have announced today in relation to
Banksia Hill Detention Centre. This morning, I joined the Minister for
Corrective Services, Paul Papalia, to announce a plan for Banksia Hill. Above
all else, a consistent message of this government is that we want to continue
to make Banksia Hill safe for the staff and safe for the juveniles who are in
that facility. That is our number one priority. Once the facility is safe and
secure, we will be able to properly engage young people in rehabilitation,
education and positive activities. It is important to note that these changes
will not happen overnight as they are complex issues, but we are confident of
the trajectory that we are now on in relation to the situation we have at
Banksia Hill.
Firstly, we are taking immediate
action to improve safety, security and welfare at Banksia Hill. That involves
additional prison officers to provide greater security, which will enable youth
custodial officers to focus on rehabilitation, mentoring and delivering the
programs that we want to see brought to life in that facility. Legislative
changes will be brought in to enable this, as well as specialised training and
working with children checks for prison officers employed at the centre. The
additional staff will improve the safety and security of those in detention and
increase their out-of-cell hours. Consultation has begun with Indigenous
leaders in the community who will provide
advice as a new model of care is adopted. We have listened to feedback from
Aboriginal community members to enable the elders in that community to
help. As part of this, Aboriginal mediators are being engaged to assist with the mentoring and safe resolution
of critical incidents. In addition, the Department of Justice will appoint an Aboriginal health service to provide culturally appropriate care for young
people at the facility. Discussions are also underway with the Telethon Kids
Institute to provide expertise and advice into a range of neurodevelopmental
issues such as foetal alcohol spectrum disorder. This will help to inform a model
of care for each individual's needs. I have been at pains to point that
out. Each kid there has their own story and their own complex reasons for
finding themselves in this position. We need to make this facility safe and we
need to employ a therapeutic model of care to make sure that we can give these
kids the best possible start in life. We will continue to make sure that we
work to understand what the best infrastructure needs for this facility are,
whether it is part of that facility or elsewhere,
whether it is in remand or other suitable services. In an ideal world, no
juvenile would be in detention, but we
do not live in an ideal world; we live in the real world. There are juveniles
who require intervention and temporary separation
from the community. There are very complex and varied reasons for this. We want
Banksia Hill Detention Centre to be a world-leading institution for
juvenile detention and rehabilitation.
I commend the Minister for
Corrective Services for the work he has done so far and I know we will do more.
A lot of it is leading from the work already
done by this government and the previous minister. We will continue to make sure that we do everything we can to make this facility safe for the staff and
the detainees and, above all else, we will
work with the community to make sure that we bring new models of care with
these services because we know that we can make sure these kids will
live happy, rewarding lives in the community, and they just need assistance to
get there.
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