❓ Mr. Cowper asks about programs addressing Indigenous incarceration in the recent budget. The Minister details funding for Outcare's Live Works program and upgrades to the Riverbank facility, highlighting positive outcomes and federal government withdrawal.
AnsweredQoN 276Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
STATE
BUDGET 2012–13 — INDIGENOUS INCARCERATION
276. Mr M.J. COWPER to the Minister for Corrective Services:
We in this place are well aware of the high rate of
Indigenous incarceration in Western Australia. With this in mind, can the
minister please provide details of programs funded in the recent budget that
address the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in our state prisons?
BUDGET 2012–13 — INDIGENOUS INCARCERATION
276. Mr M.J. COWPER to the Minister for Corrective Services:
We in this place are well aware of the high rate of
Indigenous incarceration in Western Australia. With this in mind, can the
minister please provide details of programs funded in the recent budget that
address the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in our state prisons?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Murray–Wellington for his
question. Indeed, he is quite right; significant funding was recently announced
in this state budget to assist with the gross overrepresentation of Indigenous
youth in particular, but also Indigenous young men within our corrective
services system. I went out to Riverbank this morning with Hon Donna Faragher,
and we announced $7.5 million over four years to support a group called Outcare
and its Live Works program in which it will engage all those Indigenous youth
between the ages of 15 and 22 who come in contact with the justice system. It
takes them away and will be involved in helping to train them. They will be
doing up to certificate II courses in general construction.
Outcare is also assisting the Minister for Housing with his
housing program to upgrade some of the department's facilities. I took
the time at the end of last year to go out and have a look at some of the good
work that they did. I was very impressed with how they managed those young
Indigenous men and what they were doing in putting something back into the
community and supporting the government agency trying to maintain our housing
resources, but also in particular giving them a sense of pride. A whole
wraparound service supports them to try to keep them out of the justice system.
So much so, that in the past 12 months, of 49 participants who passed and
completed the course, 30 are involved in full-time employment. To me, that is
an absolutely fantastic outcome. If Outcare can repeat that with the support of
this Liberal–National government over the next four years, that is
going to make a huge difference to Indigenous youth who in many cases are
disengaged in some of those communities. The focus will be on the Swan area,
the Armadale area, which I am sure is very pleasing for the member for
Armadale, and also on Kwinana, member for Cockburn, which is where there seems
to be hotspots of Indigenous youth in particular who are disengaged. I am very
pleased that we are doing this. The business case that has been put to me
suggests that we can save significant taxpayers' dollars by making sure
we can pathway these people by early intervention back into the community doing
constructive work and making sure that they do not finish up in our justice
system.
On top of that, I am expecting over
the four years about 400 participants—roughly 100 per year. From what I
have seen, it is going to be a very good outcome. Interestingly, the reason
that it was put to me that we should fund it was that the federal government is
vacating this space. The state government has gone in and supported an
outstanding program that in fact the federal government has vacated from.
On top of that, we have allocated
$920 000 to upgrade the Riverbank facility. That is where a lot of the
coordination work happens in community corrections. There are also some
recurrent funds. They are doing a lot of that work themselves. I have had a
look at that facility a couple of times now, and I am very pleased that it will
now be refurbished to the point at which we can consider the next step, which
is providing a level of industry to support the wonderful work done by our
community corrections officers in engaging youth in particular—in this
case, young Indigenous youth—to ensure they have a pathway back into
work and making a constructive contribution to the community.
question. Indeed, he is quite right; significant funding was recently announced
in this state budget to assist with the gross overrepresentation of Indigenous
youth in particular, but also Indigenous young men within our corrective
services system. I went out to Riverbank this morning with Hon Donna Faragher,
and we announced $7.5 million over four years to support a group called Outcare
and its Live Works program in which it will engage all those Indigenous youth
between the ages of 15 and 22 who come in contact with the justice system. It
takes them away and will be involved in helping to train them. They will be
doing up to certificate II courses in general construction.
Outcare is also assisting the Minister for Housing with his
housing program to upgrade some of the department's facilities. I took
the time at the end of last year to go out and have a look at some of the good
work that they did. I was very impressed with how they managed those young
Indigenous men and what they were doing in putting something back into the
community and supporting the government agency trying to maintain our housing
resources, but also in particular giving them a sense of pride. A whole
wraparound service supports them to try to keep them out of the justice system.
So much so, that in the past 12 months, of 49 participants who passed and
completed the course, 30 are involved in full-time employment. To me, that is
an absolutely fantastic outcome. If Outcare can repeat that with the support of
this Liberal–National government over the next four years, that is
going to make a huge difference to Indigenous youth who in many cases are
disengaged in some of those communities. The focus will be on the Swan area,
the Armadale area, which I am sure is very pleasing for the member for
Armadale, and also on Kwinana, member for Cockburn, which is where there seems
to be hotspots of Indigenous youth in particular who are disengaged. I am very
pleased that we are doing this. The business case that has been put to me
suggests that we can save significant taxpayers' dollars by making sure
we can pathway these people by early intervention back into the community doing
constructive work and making sure that they do not finish up in our justice
system.
On top of that, I am expecting over
the four years about 400 participants—roughly 100 per year. From what I
have seen, it is going to be a very good outcome. Interestingly, the reason
that it was put to me that we should fund it was that the federal government is
vacating this space. The state government has gone in and supported an
outstanding program that in fact the federal government has vacated from.
On top of that, we have allocated
$920 000 to upgrade the Riverbank facility. That is where a lot of the
coordination work happens in community corrections. There are also some
recurrent funds. They are doing a lot of that work themselves. I have had a
look at that facility a couple of times now, and I am very pleased that it will
now be refurbished to the point at which we can consider the next step, which
is providing a level of industry to support the wonderful work done by our
community corrections officers in engaging youth in particular—in this
case, young Indigenous youth—to ensure they have a pathway back into
work and making a constructive contribution to the community.
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