Hon Peter Collier asks about staffing levels in WA's 16 state-operated prisons since January 1, 2023. The Minister's response acknowledges staffing fluctuations and challenges due to the tight labour market but assures ongoing efforts to maintain adequate staffing.

AnsweredQoN 576Legislative Council
Asked
18 May 2023
Portfolio
Corrective Services

QuestionView source ↗

PRISONS — STAFFING LEVELS
576. Hon PETER COLLIER to the parliamentary secretary
representing the Minister for Corrective Services:
I refer the
minister to each of Western Australia's 16 state-operated prisons.
(1) Since 1
January 2023, has each of these prisons been fully staffed?
(2) If no to (1),
why not?

AnswerView source ↗

I thank the member for some notice
of the question. The following answer has been provided to me by the Minister
for Corrective Services.
(1)–(2) Prison
staffing numbers fluctuate in line with WA's prison population. The
Department of Justice is always focused on ensuring that the state's
prisons are adequately staffed, and it continues to run prison officer
recruitment campaigns and training programs.
Like all industries across the state,
Western Australia's prisons are challenged by the tight labour market
resulting from WA's very strong economy. While staffing numbers can be
impacted by these and other factors, the department continually manages the
prison estate workforce to safeguard staff, prisoners and the wider community.

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