❓ Mr. Abetz questions the Minister for Corrective Services on the government's response to the Inspector of Custodial Services report regarding the Banksia Hill Detention Centre riot. The Minister outlines key findings and commits to considering the report's recommendations and providing updates.
AnsweredQoN 377Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
BANKSIA
HILL DETENTION CENTRE RIOT — INSPECTOR OF CUSTODIAL SERVICES REPORT
377. Mr P. ABETZ to the Minister for Corrective Services:
I would like to acknowledge the
students from Whitford Catholic Primary School from the member for Joondalup's
electorate who are in the Speaker's gallery.
Can the minister please advise the house of the state
government's initial response to the report of the Office of the
Inspector of Custodial Services that was tabled today on the circumstances
surrounding the Banksia Hill Detention Centre riot on 20 January this year?
HILL DETENTION CENTRE RIOT — INSPECTOR OF CUSTODIAL SERVICES REPORT
377. Mr P. ABETZ to the Minister for Corrective Services:
I would like to acknowledge the
students from Whitford Catholic Primary School from the member for Joondalup's
electorate who are in the Speaker's gallery.
Can the minister please advise the house of the state
government's initial response to the report of the Office of the
Inspector of Custodial Services that was tabled today on the circumstances
surrounding the Banksia Hill Detention Centre riot on 20 January this year?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Southern River for that question. I
know that this facility lies in his electorate and I know that he has a keen
interest in what is happening in the Department of Corrective Services and in
juvenile corrections. For members who may be interested, three main findings
were ascertained from this report: firstly, the Inspector of Custodial Services
found that given the risk factors present at Banksia Hill, a major security
incident was entirely foreseeable; secondly, that the Department of Corrective
Services failed to take sufficient action to mitigate the security risks at
Banksia Hill; and, thirdly, that the riot was the result of a number of
factors, including staffing and management issues and ineffective security
arrangements.
The Inspector of Custodial Services also made 35 wideranging
recommendations in this report. The state government will fully consider every
single recommendation in this report and respond to them in the coming weeks. I
have said previously that the government is exploring ways and methods to
review the structure, the procedures and the culture within the Department of
Corrective Services. I will be having a conversation with the Premier in the
coming days to work out a way forward —
Mr F.M. Logan interjected.
Mr J.M. FRANCIS :
That is an interesting question. I would be happy to have that conversation.
We will be making some kind of headway on that in the coming
days.
For the benefit of members, as the
minister, I intend to provide the house with regular updates on the progress of
the Department of Corrective Services in implementing recommendations that are
contained within this report. The inspector's report reinforces
concerns and issues that the government and I have raised in the past few
months about the structure, procedures and culture within the Department of
Corrective Services. However, we are also getting on with the job. The
government is already acting to address those issues and reforms within the department,
and these recommendations have included many aspects of that. The crucial
driver of that reform will be to find a new Commissioner of Corrective
Services. The Public Sector Commissioner is well underway in progressing that
task. Interestingly, the report also recommends establishing a commissioner for
youth justice and the government considering a contestability model in the
delivery of youth custodial services, opening up to a tender process across the
private and public sectors. The government will consider that recommendation.
In closing, I want to place on
record my appreciation of the work done by the Inspector of Custodial Services.
This was a government-directed report by the previous Minister for Corrective
Services. All credit is due to the Inspector of Custodial Services for
professionally undertaking this report. The government will take all the
recommendations on board.
know that this facility lies in his electorate and I know that he has a keen
interest in what is happening in the Department of Corrective Services and in
juvenile corrections. For members who may be interested, three main findings
were ascertained from this report: firstly, the Inspector of Custodial Services
found that given the risk factors present at Banksia Hill, a major security
incident was entirely foreseeable; secondly, that the Department of Corrective
Services failed to take sufficient action to mitigate the security risks at
Banksia Hill; and, thirdly, that the riot was the result of a number of
factors, including staffing and management issues and ineffective security
arrangements.
The Inspector of Custodial Services also made 35 wideranging
recommendations in this report. The state government will fully consider every
single recommendation in this report and respond to them in the coming weeks. I
have said previously that the government is exploring ways and methods to
review the structure, the procedures and the culture within the Department of
Corrective Services. I will be having a conversation with the Premier in the
coming days to work out a way forward —
Mr F.M. Logan interjected.
Mr J.M. FRANCIS :
That is an interesting question. I would be happy to have that conversation.
We will be making some kind of headway on that in the coming
days.
For the benefit of members, as the
minister, I intend to provide the house with regular updates on the progress of
the Department of Corrective Services in implementing recommendations that are
contained within this report. The inspector's report reinforces
concerns and issues that the government and I have raised in the past few
months about the structure, procedures and culture within the Department of
Corrective Services. However, we are also getting on with the job. The
government is already acting to address those issues and reforms within the department,
and these recommendations have included many aspects of that. The crucial
driver of that reform will be to find a new Commissioner of Corrective
Services. The Public Sector Commissioner is well underway in progressing that
task. Interestingly, the report also recommends establishing a commissioner for
youth justice and the government considering a contestability model in the
delivery of youth custodial services, opening up to a tender process across the
private and public sectors. The government will consider that recommendation.
In closing, I want to place on
record my appreciation of the work done by the Inspector of Custodial Services.
This was a government-directed report by the previous Minister for Corrective
Services. All credit is due to the Inspector of Custodial Services for
professionally undertaking this report. The government will take all the
recommendations on board.
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