A parliamentary question regarding the mixing of children/adolescents with adults and criminally insane prisoners at Graylands Hospital and Frankland forensic unit. The Minister provides a qualified response, leading to heated interjections and accusations.

AnsweredQoN 518Legislative Assembly
Asked
26 August 2004
Portfolio
Health

QuestionView source ↗

As a supplementary question, will the minister give a commitment to the community today in this Parliament that from now on there will be no mixing of children or adolescents with any adults in Graylands Hospitals or, more to the point, with any criminally insane prisoners in the forensic unit? Mr J.A. McGINTY

AnswerView source ↗

I will give this commitment: we will show respect for the law. If a court orders that a particular offender with a mental health illness be taken to the Frankland unit, that offender will be taken there. The practice is that it is rare for more than one child to be ordered by the court to be detained for psychiatric assessment at the forensic mental health unit. When they are there, as a matter of practice they are kept and treated separately from the other offenders within that unit. Mr C.J. Barnett: Have you been to Frankland? I bet you haven’t been there. Mr J.A. McGINTY: Of course I have. Mr C.J. Barnett: In the Frankland facility? Mr J.A. McGINTY: I have been inside the Frankland facility; I know it well. Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: Does the Leader of the Opposition want to make any other allegations that are completely unfounded? The Leader of the Opposition should have a good long think before he opens his mouth. He is completely wrong.
Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: I will give this commitment: we will show respect for the law. If a court orders that a particular offender with a mental health illness be taken to the Frankland unit, that offender will be taken there. The practice is that it is rare for more than one child to be ordered by the court to be detained for psychiatric assessment at the forensic mental health unit. When they are there, as a matter of practice they are kept and treated separately from the other offenders within that unit. Mr C.J. Barnett: Have you been to Frankland? I bet you haven’t been there. Mr J.A. McGINTY: Of course I have. Mr C.J. Barnett: In the Frankland facility? Mr J.A. McGINTY: I have been inside the Frankland facility; I know it well. Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: Does the Leader of the Opposition want to make any other allegations that are completely unfounded? The Leader of the Opposition should have a good long think before he opens his mouth. He is completely wrong.
I will give this commitment: we will show respect for the law. If a court orders that a particular offender with a mental health illness be taken to the Frankland unit, that offender will be taken there. The practice is that it is rare for more than one child to be ordered by the court to be detained for psychiatric assessment at the forensic mental health unit. When they are there, as a matter of practice they are kept and treated separately from the other offenders within that unit. Mr C.J. Barnett: Have you been to Frankland? I bet you haven’t been there. Mr J.A. McGINTY: Of course I have. Mr C.J. Barnett: In the Frankland facility? Mr J.A. McGINTY: I have been inside the Frankland facility; I know it well. Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: Does the Leader of the Opposition want to make any other allegations that are completely unfounded? The Leader of the Opposition should have a good long think before he opens his mouth. He is completely wrong.
Mr C.J. Barnett: Have you been to Frankland? I bet you haven’t been there. Mr J.A. McGINTY: Of course I have. Mr C.J. Barnett: In the Frankland facility? Mr J.A. McGINTY: I have been inside the Frankland facility; I know it well. Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: Does the Leader of the Opposition want to make any other allegations that are completely unfounded? The Leader of the Opposition should have a good long think before he opens his mouth. He is completely wrong.
Mr J.A. McGINTY: Of course I have. Mr C.J. Barnett: In the Frankland facility? Mr J.A. McGINTY: I have been inside the Frankland facility; I know it well. Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: Does the Leader of the Opposition want to make any other allegations that are completely unfounded? The Leader of the Opposition should have a good long think before he opens his mouth. He is completely wrong.
Mr C.J. Barnett: In the Frankland facility? Mr J.A. McGINTY: I have been inside the Frankland facility; I know it well. Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: Does the Leader of the Opposition want to make any other allegations that are completely unfounded? The Leader of the Opposition should have a good long think before he opens his mouth. He is completely wrong.
Mr J.A. McGINTY: I have been inside the Frankland facility; I know it well. Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: Does the Leader of the Opposition want to make any other allegations that are completely unfounded? The Leader of the Opposition should have a good long think before he opens his mouth. He is completely wrong.
Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGINTY: Does the Leader of the Opposition want to make any other allegations that are completely unfounded? The Leader of the Opposition should have a good long think before he opens his mouth. He is completely wrong.
Mr J.A. McGINTY: Does the Leader of the Opposition want to make any other allegations that are completely unfounded? The Leader of the Opposition should have a good long think before he opens his mouth. He is completely wrong.

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