❓ Mr Grylls asks about the Roebourne work camp's role in preparing prisoners for work. The Minister details the camp's purpose, expansion of prison beds across WA, and asserts government control over corrective services.
AnsweredQoN 501Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ROEBOURNE WORK CAMP
501. Mr B.J. GRYLLS to the Minister for
Corrective Services:
I note that the minister recently
opened the new Roebourne work camp funded with royalties for regions funds. It
is hard to keep up with all the new openings happening in the Pilbara at the
moment. Can the minister please update the house on how this will make
prisoners better ready for work?
501. Mr B.J. GRYLLS to the Minister for
Corrective Services:
I note that the minister recently
opened the new Roebourne work camp funded with royalties for regions funds. It
is hard to keep up with all the new openings happening in the Pilbara at the
moment. Can the minister please update the house on how this will make
prisoners better ready for work?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Pilbara for
his question and his ongoing support of increasing the services that the
Department of Corrective Services delivers in his electorate, which allow for
more and more, in particular, Aboriginal people in the north west to spend
their time behind bars in country.
Last Friday, accompanied by the
member for Forrestfield, I opened the new Roebourne work camp just across the
car park from Roebourne Regional Prison. The new 30-bed minimum-security work
camp will provide a lot of opportunities for those offenders in community
corrections to participate in reform programs and also for prisoners moving out
of the —
Mr
P. Papalia interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Warnbro, I call you to order for the second time.
Mr
J.M. FRANCIS : It will also provide opportunities for prisoners working
their way out of the medium-security prison in Roebourne into the
minimum-security facility. Of course, the minimum-security work camp will
encourage prisoners to behave better. They know that if they do the right
thing, they are more likely to be downgraded to minimum security, in which case
they can do more to repay society for their debts; they can become more job
ready and do more to ensure that when they get out of prison, they do not
return. Interestingly, I was talking to a number of the prisoners up there and
some of them who will be released shortly have already lined up jobs at
Cloudbreak mine site with Fortescue Metals Group. A lot of people are really
looking forward to changing their lives around and getting on with making a
positive contribution back to society.
Over the past five years, this
government has spent $655 million—a record amount of investment—in
delivering more beds within the Western Australian prison system. We have a lot
of space right now in Albany Regional Prison, Casuarina Prison, and Hakea
Prison. Lots of cells are ready because we know that the right thing to do is
to plan in advance. We have another net 250 prison beds coming online when the
goldfields prison is completed. That 350-bed facility will provide an
additional 250 beds. Another 387 beds will come online next year at Acacia
Prison. We are getting on with the job of running the prison system in Western
Australia effectively and efficiently. I have a newsflash for both the Labor
Party and the Western Australian Prison Officers' Union; they do not
run the Department of Corrective Services or the prison system in Western
Australia. The Commissioner of Corrective Services and the Department of
Corrective Services run the prison system in Western Australia; it is not the
Western Australian Prison Officers' Union, and certainly not the member
for Warnbro.
Mr B.S. Wyatt interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Victoria Park, I call you to order for the
first time.
his question and his ongoing support of increasing the services that the
Department of Corrective Services delivers in his electorate, which allow for
more and more, in particular, Aboriginal people in the north west to spend
their time behind bars in country.
Last Friday, accompanied by the
member for Forrestfield, I opened the new Roebourne work camp just across the
car park from Roebourne Regional Prison. The new 30-bed minimum-security work
camp will provide a lot of opportunities for those offenders in community
corrections to participate in reform programs and also for prisoners moving out
of the —
Mr
P. Papalia interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Warnbro, I call you to order for the second time.
Mr
J.M. FRANCIS : It will also provide opportunities for prisoners working
their way out of the medium-security prison in Roebourne into the
minimum-security facility. Of course, the minimum-security work camp will
encourage prisoners to behave better. They know that if they do the right
thing, they are more likely to be downgraded to minimum security, in which case
they can do more to repay society for their debts; they can become more job
ready and do more to ensure that when they get out of prison, they do not
return. Interestingly, I was talking to a number of the prisoners up there and
some of them who will be released shortly have already lined up jobs at
Cloudbreak mine site with Fortescue Metals Group. A lot of people are really
looking forward to changing their lives around and getting on with making a
positive contribution back to society.
Over the past five years, this
government has spent $655 million—a record amount of investment—in
delivering more beds within the Western Australian prison system. We have a lot
of space right now in Albany Regional Prison, Casuarina Prison, and Hakea
Prison. Lots of cells are ready because we know that the right thing to do is
to plan in advance. We have another net 250 prison beds coming online when the
goldfields prison is completed. That 350-bed facility will provide an
additional 250 beds. Another 387 beds will come online next year at Acacia
Prison. We are getting on with the job of running the prison system in Western
Australia effectively and efficiently. I have a newsflash for both the Labor
Party and the Western Australian Prison Officers' Union; they do not
run the Department of Corrective Services or the prison system in Western
Australia. The Commissioner of Corrective Services and the Department of
Corrective Services run the prison system in Western Australia; it is not the
Western Australian Prison Officers' Union, and certainly not the member
for Warnbro.
Mr B.S. Wyatt interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Victoria Park, I call you to order for the
first time.
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