❓ The Premier addresses concerns about youth detention, outlining infrastructure improvements, staffing increases, and a new high-security therapeutic facility. The response also highlights government achievements in finance, health, training, infrastructure, and cost-of-living support.
AnsweredQoN 930Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
YOUTH
DETENTION — INFRASTRUCTURE REVIEW
930. Ms C.M. ROWE to the Premier:
On behalf of the member for Bicton, I acknowledge that she
has visitors in the public gallery—the deputy principal and year 6
students from Attadale Primary School.
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
commitment to addressing Western Australia's long-term youth detention
needs.
(1) Can the
Premier outline to the house what steps are being taken to improve safety,
security and welfare for juveniles in detention?
(2) Can the Premier outline to the house how else this
government is delivering for Western Australians?
DETENTION — INFRASTRUCTURE REVIEW
930. Ms C.M. ROWE to the Premier:
On behalf of the member for Bicton, I acknowledge that she
has visitors in the public gallery—the deputy principal and year 6
students from Attadale Primary School.
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
commitment to addressing Western Australia's long-term youth detention
needs.
(1) Can the
Premier outline to the house what steps are being taken to improve safety,
security and welfare for juveniles in detention?
(2) Can the Premier outline to the house how else this
government is delivering for Western Australians?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question. Before I start, I pay
tribute to our great friend and colleague. Earlier today Minister Johnston
announced his retirement from cabinet. It is an opportunity to note and place
on the record our gratitude for his service to the people of Western Australia
and the Labor movement. This will be his last question time on the front bench,
and I would just like to extend my personal gratitude to him. Today, of course,
also marks the final sitting day of 2023 for
the Legislative Assembly. It has been a big year, with many changes. All three parties in the Assembly have a different leader from
when they started the year, which is an extraordinary fact to contemplate !
From a Labor government perspective, we have been extremely busy.
(1)–(2)
When I started as Premier in June, I made a commitment to significantly reform
and provide a reset at the Banksia Hill juvenile justice centre. I want to put
the centre on a better pathway. This included a review of infrastructure needs
in Western Australia's youth justice system and measures to increase
staffing. The recently completed review confirmed that Banksia Hill Detention
Centre cannot currently safely and securely accommodate our most challenging
young offenders. In response, we have confirmed that we are building a new
high-security therapeutic youth detention facility. This will be built next to
the existing centre. The proposed two-site
model will see the most challenging young people provided with high levels of support in the new facility. That will allow the current facility to focus
on giving stable therapeutic interventions
and education to more settled detainees. Importantly, the new facility will
allow for the closure of unit 18 in a sensible and safe manner.
Before
that happens, we will spend $169 million on enhancing the facilities and services
available at unit 18 and Banksia Hill Detention Centre. That means that
more staff, more support and better safety measures will be in place. There is no doubt that it has been a challenging year
for youth justice, but we are committed to turning our youth justice
system around. I want to commend the Minister for Corrective Services for the
work that he and his team are doing. This year, 2023, has been a year of
progress, and we have made great progress at
Banksia Hill, with those young detainees now experiencing many out-of-room
hours each day, undertaking
schooling, health, cultural and recreational activities as part of their
rehabilitation process.
In addition to the juvenile justice
reset, my Labor government has continued to fix the financial mess we
inherited. We returned to a AAA credit rating this year, after eight long
years. Following the pandemic, we are seeing green shoots from our investment
in the health system. There has been a reduction in ambulance ramping and an
increase in the number of elective surgeries being undertaken. We have
reinvigorated the training sector, signed a new national skills agreement,
invested more in TAFE and offered fee-free courses to more than 30 000 people.
Then there is infrastructure. Members
will be aware that we started the year with huge floods in the Kimberley,
destroying structures like the Fitzroy River Bridge. In an incredible feat, a new
and improved bridge has already been built and will be open to traffic before
Christmas. That is nine months ahead of the scheduled completion and represents
an outstanding opportunity for the region. Meanwhile, Metronet is absolutely
steaming ahead, with level crossings on the Armadale line gone, Bayswater
station reopened and construction on other rail lines well underway. There has
been extensive cost-of-living support for all Western Australians who are doing
it tough.
Madam Speaker, thank you for all your
efforts this year; 2024 will present more challenges and opportunities, and I look
forward to working with you to build on the achievements of 2023.
tribute to our great friend and colleague. Earlier today Minister Johnston
announced his retirement from cabinet. It is an opportunity to note and place
on the record our gratitude for his service to the people of Western Australia
and the Labor movement. This will be his last question time on the front bench,
and I would just like to extend my personal gratitude to him. Today, of course,
also marks the final sitting day of 2023 for
the Legislative Assembly. It has been a big year, with many changes. All three parties in the Assembly have a different leader from
when they started the year, which is an extraordinary fact to contemplate !
From a Labor government perspective, we have been extremely busy.
(1)–(2)
When I started as Premier in June, I made a commitment to significantly reform
and provide a reset at the Banksia Hill juvenile justice centre. I want to put
the centre on a better pathway. This included a review of infrastructure needs
in Western Australia's youth justice system and measures to increase
staffing. The recently completed review confirmed that Banksia Hill Detention
Centre cannot currently safely and securely accommodate our most challenging
young offenders. In response, we have confirmed that we are building a new
high-security therapeutic youth detention facility. This will be built next to
the existing centre. The proposed two-site
model will see the most challenging young people provided with high levels of support in the new facility. That will allow the current facility to focus
on giving stable therapeutic interventions
and education to more settled detainees. Importantly, the new facility will
allow for the closure of unit 18 in a sensible and safe manner.
Before
that happens, we will spend $169 million on enhancing the facilities and services
available at unit 18 and Banksia Hill Detention Centre. That means that
more staff, more support and better safety measures will be in place. There is no doubt that it has been a challenging year
for youth justice, but we are committed to turning our youth justice
system around. I want to commend the Minister for Corrective Services for the
work that he and his team are doing. This year, 2023, has been a year of
progress, and we have made great progress at
Banksia Hill, with those young detainees now experiencing many out-of-room
hours each day, undertaking
schooling, health, cultural and recreational activities as part of their
rehabilitation process.
In addition to the juvenile justice
reset, my Labor government has continued to fix the financial mess we
inherited. We returned to a AAA credit rating this year, after eight long
years. Following the pandemic, we are seeing green shoots from our investment
in the health system. There has been a reduction in ambulance ramping and an
increase in the number of elective surgeries being undertaken. We have
reinvigorated the training sector, signed a new national skills agreement,
invested more in TAFE and offered fee-free courses to more than 30 000 people.
Then there is infrastructure. Members
will be aware that we started the year with huge floods in the Kimberley,
destroying structures like the Fitzroy River Bridge. In an incredible feat, a new
and improved bridge has already been built and will be open to traffic before
Christmas. That is nine months ahead of the scheduled completion and represents
an outstanding opportunity for the region. Meanwhile, Metronet is absolutely
steaming ahead, with level crossings on the Armadale line gone, Bayswater
station reopened and construction on other rail lines well underway. There has
been extensive cost-of-living support for all Western Australians who are doing
it tough.
Madam Speaker, thank you for all your
efforts this year; 2024 will present more challenges and opportunities, and I look
forward to working with you to build on the achievements of 2023.
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