❓ Minister provides an update on the Wirrpanda Foundation's Moorditj Ngoorndiak Mentoring Program, highlighting its successes in reducing reoffending among young Aboriginal men and announcing a two-year funding extension.
AnsweredQoN 204Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
YOUTH JUSTICE INNOVATION FUND — WIRRPANDA
FOUNDATION GRANT
204. Mr P. ABETZ to the Minister for
Corrective Services:
Can the minister please update the
house on the Wirrpanda Foundation pilot program, which he announced in
Parliament on 17 March 2015?
FOUNDATION GRANT
204. Mr P. ABETZ to the Minister for
Corrective Services:
Can the minister please update the
house on the Wirrpanda Foundation pilot program, which he announced in
Parliament on 17 March 2015?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Southern
River for his question. Today is the anniversary of the implementation, with
the Wirrpanda Foundation, of that program for longitudinal mentoring, the
Moorditj Ngoorndiak Mentoring Program. My pronunciation is probably not the
best! It has been running now for 12 months, it has had a number of successes
and I think it is worth noting what they are and how they have been going
because, at the end of the day, this is taxpayers' money that we are
investing into this program to try to stop the reoffending of young Aboriginal
boys.
The program started at Banksia Hill
Detention Centre a year ago and today is the one-year anniversary. Since then,
it has done complete longitudinal mentoring for 10 at-risk young men, who have
since been released from Banksia Hill, either under conditions or to freedom as
their terms expired. So far the success rate of keeping them out of prison has
been 60 per cent. Four of them have, unfortunately, returned to the justice
system and Banksia Hill, but when we look at the cost of the contract compared
with the cost of keeping a young person in juvenile detention in Western Australia,
it has obviously been money well spent. For the record, the cost of keeping a juvenile
in detention is obviously far more than that of keeping an adult in detention,
for a number of different reasons, predominantly education and duty of care. It
costs the state $316 000 per year, per young person at Banksia Hill. If we can
for a small investment stop some of them returning, we are getting pretty good
value for money for the taxpayer, not to mention the fact that we are helping
someone get on with their life, to get a job and to contribute to society and
all the positive things that come with getting them out of the cycle of
reoffending.
I am pleased to also announce the extension of funding for
this program for a further two years at a cost of $557 000. That is $557 000 to
the Wirrpanda Foundation for another two years, after the first 12-month trial
seems to have been getting some pretty good successes. As I said, it is only 10
of them, but a 60 per cent success rate, keeping six out of 10 of them from
returning to the justice system, is a pretty good result considering that
without longitudinal mentoring and the support they get post-release from the
Wirrpanda Foundation, their reoffending rate and return-to-jail rate would have
been much higher. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the
Wirrpanda Foundation for the great work it has been doing.
River for his question. Today is the anniversary of the implementation, with
the Wirrpanda Foundation, of that program for longitudinal mentoring, the
Moorditj Ngoorndiak Mentoring Program. My pronunciation is probably not the
best! It has been running now for 12 months, it has had a number of successes
and I think it is worth noting what they are and how they have been going
because, at the end of the day, this is taxpayers' money that we are
investing into this program to try to stop the reoffending of young Aboriginal
boys.
The program started at Banksia Hill
Detention Centre a year ago and today is the one-year anniversary. Since then,
it has done complete longitudinal mentoring for 10 at-risk young men, who have
since been released from Banksia Hill, either under conditions or to freedom as
their terms expired. So far the success rate of keeping them out of prison has
been 60 per cent. Four of them have, unfortunately, returned to the justice
system and Banksia Hill, but when we look at the cost of the contract compared
with the cost of keeping a young person in juvenile detention in Western Australia,
it has obviously been money well spent. For the record, the cost of keeping a juvenile
in detention is obviously far more than that of keeping an adult in detention,
for a number of different reasons, predominantly education and duty of care. It
costs the state $316 000 per year, per young person at Banksia Hill. If we can
for a small investment stop some of them returning, we are getting pretty good
value for money for the taxpayer, not to mention the fact that we are helping
someone get on with their life, to get a job and to contribute to society and
all the positive things that come with getting them out of the cycle of
reoffending.
I am pleased to also announce the extension of funding for
this program for a further two years at a cost of $557 000. That is $557 000 to
the Wirrpanda Foundation for another two years, after the first 12-month trial
seems to have been getting some pretty good successes. As I said, it is only 10
of them, but a 60 per cent success rate, keeping six out of 10 of them from
returning to the justice system, is a pretty good result considering that
without longitudinal mentoring and the support they get post-release from the
Wirrpanda Foundation, their reoffending rate and return-to-jail rate would have
been much higher. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the
Wirrpanda Foundation for the great work it has been doing.
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