❓ Opposition MP Kirkup questions the Minister for Corrective Services about the Greenough Regional Prison riot, alleging the Minister ignored warnings from prison officers regarding staffing, overtime, and adaptive routines. The Minister deflects, blaming the previous government's infrastructure and management failures for the incident.
AnsweredQoN 1000Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
GREENOUGH REGIONAL
PRISON — CRITICAL INCIDENT REVIEW — MINISTER FOR CORRECTIVE
SERVICES
1000. Mr Z.R.F. KIRKUP to the Minister for Corrective
Services:
I refer to the critical incident
review and concerns that were raised about the prisoners at the Greenough
Regional Prison, where, specifically, prison officers were very angry about the
adaptive routine, that there were restrictions on overtime for staff and that
no new prison office was planned. It stated that the temperature was rising and
that locking up people every day of the week would have consequences. Why did
the minister fail to heed the warnings of prison officers, thereby placing
their safety, and that of the broader Western Australia community, at risk?
PRISON — CRITICAL INCIDENT REVIEW — MINISTER FOR CORRECTIVE
SERVICES
1000. Mr Z.R.F. KIRKUP to the Minister for Corrective
Services:
I refer to the critical incident
review and concerns that were raised about the prisoners at the Greenough
Regional Prison, where, specifically, prison officers were very angry about the
adaptive routine, that there were restrictions on overtime for staff and that
no new prison office was planned. It stated that the temperature was rising and
that locking up people every day of the week would have consequences. Why did
the minister fail to heed the warnings of prison officers, thereby placing
their safety, and that of the broader Western Australia community, at risk?
AnswerView source ↗
As
I said, some of the comments made by members opposite during the suspension of
standing orders debate were illuminating. I take members to some of the
comments that the member for Warren–Blackwood, a former Minister for Corrective Services, continues to highlight in this house, in not only this
debate, but also other debates. Never mind the catastrophe that the previous
government left us, with women accommodated too close to male facilities, as
was highlighted during his time as minister by the Inspector of Custodial
Services.
Ms M.J. Davies interjected.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the
National Party, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : Women were too
close to men's facilities, and the previous government built cheap
infrastructure. This was one of the key findings in the report about
infrastructure. The previous government built a security fence between the men's
prison and the women's prison that gave way the instant there was an
attempt to breach it. It was a tennis court fence. It could not have been built
more cheaply, and this was in a medium to high-security prison, as I nearly
finished saying earlier on during the previous debate. To make it even worse,
to save money the previous government put wooden doors on the cells, so that
when the rioters got in, with little saws that were used in the garden, they
cut their way through the doors and allowed the women out to join in the riot.
Mr D.T. Redman : With the saws
and the angle grinder.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : They did not
need the angle grinder, member for Warren–Blackwood.
The SPEAKER : Members! Member
for Warren–Blackwood, you are on two calls.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : They did not
need the angle grinder. They just used a saw to cut through the cheap doors
that the member for Warren–Blackwood put in place.
Mr R.S. Love interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Moore, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : What floors me
is that the people responsible for this tragedy just sit there and laugh. That
is the worst part—they sit there and laugh. As I said, member for
Dawesville, when you look at the information and the intelligence that should
have been passed on in that prison, there was a failing there. It is clearly
outlined in the report. The issues that the member has just highlighted should
have been fed up to management to take action, but they were not. That action
was not taken. That is the problem. I repeat, for everybody in the house: there
was a dangerous, violent cohort of prisoners in unit 2, and those prisoners,
even though we now have them separated around Western Australia, are still
acting violently. These people were all put together. There was information
coming through, and I presume it went to the superintendent, that something
could have kicked off—that an opportunity would be taken—and
nobody did anything about it.
Mr V.A. Catania interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for North
West Central, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : That cohort
should have been broken up. It would have made the prison safe, and it would
have ensured that the adaptive regimes, which work properly in all other jails,
even with asking the superintendents to work to their budgets, would have
worked properly in Greenough.
I said, some of the comments made by members opposite during the suspension of
standing orders debate were illuminating. I take members to some of the
comments that the member for Warren–Blackwood, a former Minister for Corrective Services, continues to highlight in this house, in not only this
debate, but also other debates. Never mind the catastrophe that the previous
government left us, with women accommodated too close to male facilities, as
was highlighted during his time as minister by the Inspector of Custodial
Services.
Ms M.J. Davies interjected.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the
National Party, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : Women were too
close to men's facilities, and the previous government built cheap
infrastructure. This was one of the key findings in the report about
infrastructure. The previous government built a security fence between the men's
prison and the women's prison that gave way the instant there was an
attempt to breach it. It was a tennis court fence. It could not have been built
more cheaply, and this was in a medium to high-security prison, as I nearly
finished saying earlier on during the previous debate. To make it even worse,
to save money the previous government put wooden doors on the cells, so that
when the rioters got in, with little saws that were used in the garden, they
cut their way through the doors and allowed the women out to join in the riot.
Mr D.T. Redman : With the saws
and the angle grinder.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : They did not
need the angle grinder, member for Warren–Blackwood.
The SPEAKER : Members! Member
for Warren–Blackwood, you are on two calls.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : They did not
need the angle grinder. They just used a saw to cut through the cheap doors
that the member for Warren–Blackwood put in place.
Mr R.S. Love interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Moore, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : What floors me
is that the people responsible for this tragedy just sit there and laugh. That
is the worst part—they sit there and laugh. As I said, member for
Dawesville, when you look at the information and the intelligence that should
have been passed on in that prison, there was a failing there. It is clearly
outlined in the report. The issues that the member has just highlighted should
have been fed up to management to take action, but they were not. That action
was not taken. That is the problem. I repeat, for everybody in the house: there
was a dangerous, violent cohort of prisoners in unit 2, and those prisoners,
even though we now have them separated around Western Australia, are still
acting violently. These people were all put together. There was information
coming through, and I presume it went to the superintendent, that something
could have kicked off—that an opportunity would be taken—and
nobody did anything about it.
Mr V.A. Catania interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for North
West Central, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : That cohort
should have been broken up. It would have made the prison safe, and it would
have ensured that the adaptive regimes, which work properly in all other jails,
even with asking the superintendents to work to their budgets, would have
worked properly in Greenough.
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