❓ Opposition asks Corrective Services Minister about funding for Greenough Regional Prison before a breakout. Minister deflects, blaming the previous government's fiscal management and unfulfilled promises for overcrowding and understaffing.
AnsweredQoN 514Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
GREENOUGH REGIONAL
PRISON — CRITICAL INCIDENT
514. Mr Z.R.F. KIRKUP to the Minister for Corrective
Services:
Before
I begin my question I would like to recognise the former member for Murray–Wellington,
Mr Murray Cowper , who is in the Speaker's gallery this
afternoon.
I refer to one of the largest prison
breakouts in Western Australia's history—the breakout from
Greenough Regional Prison. Given the minister's political grandstanding
about inadequate funding of prisons, will he now outline exactly how much
additional funding he has secured as a minister for the prison in the two
budgets prior to the breakout, or is it simply his intention to continue to
blame the previous government?
PRISON — CRITICAL INCIDENT
514. Mr Z.R.F. KIRKUP to the Minister for Corrective
Services:
Before
I begin my question I would like to recognise the former member for Murray–Wellington,
Mr Murray Cowper , who is in the Speaker's gallery this
afternoon.
I refer to one of the largest prison
breakouts in Western Australia's history—the breakout from
Greenough Regional Prison. Given the minister's political grandstanding
about inadequate funding of prisons, will he now outline exactly how much
additional funding he has secured as a minister for the prison in the two
budgets prior to the breakout, or is it simply his intention to continue to
blame the previous government?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Dawesville
very much indeed. I am surprised he framed that question the way he did after
the commentary he just heard from the Treasurer, given the fiscal disaster that
the member's government left our government and what we inherited from
his government.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr F.M. LOGAN : The argument
being put by the member for Dawesville is in line with the general Liberal
Party theme of its position in opposition. That position is: ''We've
been here 18 months. We left you a $40 billion debt.''
Mr D.T. Redman interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Warren–Blackwood, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : ''The
Labor Party has been in government for 18 months. We left you a fiscal disaster
with a $40 billion debt and deficit. Why haven't you fixed all the
problems that we left you?'' That is the opposition's theme. It
is the same theme from the Leader of the Opposition to the Treasurer: ''Why
haven't you started paying down debt?''
Mr Z.R.F. Kirkup interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Dawesville, you get a supplementary question.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : The question
today is: where are we getting the money from and why aren't we fixing
up the mess that we were left by the member and his government? That is the
theme of the member's question. At the media conference of over one
hour and 40 minutes dealing with the issue of the Greenough riot and escape I pointed
out what we had been left by the member's government. Members should
remember the promise that the Leader of the Opposition made to the people of Western
Australia at the 2016 election.
Mr D.T. Redman interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Warren–Blackwood!
Mr F.M. LOGAN : He promised a new
prison and over $1 billion for that new prison. Members opposite said they were
going to deliver it and that the money was there. It was not there; it was
never there. Consequently, we were left with all the problems—overcrowding
and understaffing. Members opposite left us with a staff freeze that the Leader
of the Opposition, as Treasurer —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr F.M. LOGAN : Hence the
theme, member.
Mr D.T. Redman interjected.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : Hence the
theme of what I have just been talking about: ''You fix it.''
The SPEAKER : Minister,
through the Chair.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : Members
opposite left us with a staff freeze.
Mrs L.M. Harvey interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Scarborough!
Mr
F.M. LOGAN : They left us with an
overcrowded prison and they left the department in an absolute fiscal mess.
Mr D.T. Redman : Take
responsibility.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : The former
corrections minister sitting there never did anything with Geraldton. The
former Minister for Corrective Services —
Mr D.T. Redman interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Warren–Blackwood, I call you to order for the second time. Minister,
through the Chair, please.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : Thank you. The
former Minister for Corrective Services, the current member for Warren–Blackwood,
who had the opportunity to address the issues raised in the Office of the
Inspector of Custodial Services report in 2012, when he was the minister and
did nothing, is now saying, 18 months later, ''Why haven't you
fixed it? Why did it lead to a riot? Why did it lead to an escape?'' He
can answer those questions himself because he created the problems.
Mr Z.R.F. Kirkup interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member! That is
enough.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : Members
opposite created the problems and we are now going about the whole prison estate
addressing them.
I made it very clear, and I was very
honest with the people of Western Australia and the media. Sure, like members
opposite, we took our eye off the ball at Geraldton for 18 months. Why is that?
We had to address the fiscal problems in the department and the fact that
prison numbers had grown by 35 per cent in three years. We had to find beds for
prisoners, and that is what I did. In September last year, I immediately put in
place the creation of 212 new beds to deal with the crisis that members
opposite left us. Of course we did not look at Geraldton. But members opposite
had eight years and they did not look at Geraldton. They had eight years and
more money than we can even possibly think about it, but they still did not do
anything in Geraldton.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr F.M. LOGAN : I will not be
questioned by people like the member for Dawesville about this —
Mr Z.R.F. Kirkup interjected.
The SPEAKER : Minister,
through the Chair. Member for Dawesville, you do not shout out. I call you to
order for the first time.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : Over the three
years in the lead-up to the election, he was the adviser on corrective services
to the Premier and had been in receipt of many of the reports of the Inspector
of Custodial Services, one as late as 2016, which told him that the then
government was facing a disaster in Greenough, and it did not do anything about
it.
very much indeed. I am surprised he framed that question the way he did after
the commentary he just heard from the Treasurer, given the fiscal disaster that
the member's government left our government and what we inherited from
his government.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr F.M. LOGAN : The argument
being put by the member for Dawesville is in line with the general Liberal
Party theme of its position in opposition. That position is: ''We've
been here 18 months. We left you a $40 billion debt.''
Mr D.T. Redman interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Warren–Blackwood, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : ''The
Labor Party has been in government for 18 months. We left you a fiscal disaster
with a $40 billion debt and deficit. Why haven't you fixed all the
problems that we left you?'' That is the opposition's theme. It
is the same theme from the Leader of the Opposition to the Treasurer: ''Why
haven't you started paying down debt?''
Mr Z.R.F. Kirkup interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Dawesville, you get a supplementary question.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : The question
today is: where are we getting the money from and why aren't we fixing
up the mess that we were left by the member and his government? That is the
theme of the member's question. At the media conference of over one
hour and 40 minutes dealing with the issue of the Greenough riot and escape I pointed
out what we had been left by the member's government. Members should
remember the promise that the Leader of the Opposition made to the people of Western
Australia at the 2016 election.
Mr D.T. Redman interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Warren–Blackwood!
Mr F.M. LOGAN : He promised a new
prison and over $1 billion for that new prison. Members opposite said they were
going to deliver it and that the money was there. It was not there; it was
never there. Consequently, we were left with all the problems—overcrowding
and understaffing. Members opposite left us with a staff freeze that the Leader
of the Opposition, as Treasurer —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr F.M. LOGAN : Hence the
theme, member.
Mr D.T. Redman interjected.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : Hence the
theme of what I have just been talking about: ''You fix it.''
The SPEAKER : Minister,
through the Chair.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : Members
opposite left us with a staff freeze.
Mrs L.M. Harvey interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Scarborough!
Mr
F.M. LOGAN : They left us with an
overcrowded prison and they left the department in an absolute fiscal mess.
Mr D.T. Redman : Take
responsibility.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : The former
corrections minister sitting there never did anything with Geraldton. The
former Minister for Corrective Services —
Mr D.T. Redman interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Warren–Blackwood, I call you to order for the second time. Minister,
through the Chair, please.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : Thank you. The
former Minister for Corrective Services, the current member for Warren–Blackwood,
who had the opportunity to address the issues raised in the Office of the
Inspector of Custodial Services report in 2012, when he was the minister and
did nothing, is now saying, 18 months later, ''Why haven't you
fixed it? Why did it lead to a riot? Why did it lead to an escape?'' He
can answer those questions himself because he created the problems.
Mr Z.R.F. Kirkup interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member! That is
enough.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : Members
opposite created the problems and we are now going about the whole prison estate
addressing them.
I made it very clear, and I was very
honest with the people of Western Australia and the media. Sure, like members
opposite, we took our eye off the ball at Geraldton for 18 months. Why is that?
We had to address the fiscal problems in the department and the fact that
prison numbers had grown by 35 per cent in three years. We had to find beds for
prisoners, and that is what I did. In September last year, I immediately put in
place the creation of 212 new beds to deal with the crisis that members
opposite left us. Of course we did not look at Geraldton. But members opposite
had eight years and they did not look at Geraldton. They had eight years and
more money than we can even possibly think about it, but they still did not do
anything in Geraldton.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr F.M. LOGAN : I will not be
questioned by people like the member for Dawesville about this —
Mr Z.R.F. Kirkup interjected.
The SPEAKER : Minister,
through the Chair. Member for Dawesville, you do not shout out. I call you to
order for the first time.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : Over the three
years in the lead-up to the election, he was the adviser on corrective services
to the Premier and had been in receipt of many of the reports of the Inspector
of Custodial Services, one as late as 2016, which told him that the then
government was facing a disaster in Greenough, and it did not do anything about
it.
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