Question regarding the Minister's actions to reduce the number of adult Aboriginals in WA prisons. The Minister acknowledges the complexity and long-term nature of the issue, highlighting the government's commitment to finding solutions.

AnsweredQoN 496Legislative Assembly
Asked
18 June 2015
Portfolio
Corrective Services

QuestionView source ↗

ABORIGINAL
PRISON POPULATION
496. Mr P. PAPALIA to the
Minister for Corrective Services:
I have a supplementary question. What action is the minister
taking to reduce the number of adult Aboriginals in Western Australian prisons?

AnswerView source ↗

We cannot solve these problems overnight, but the government
is committed to solving them. The Premier made that commitment and we are
looking at a number of different options, but, as I have tried to say, these
are issues that need to be resolved way before people are sentenced. Some of
these issues have gone on for many, many generations, and that is something
that as a state neither side of politics should be proud about. When people are
born with foetal alcohol spectrum disorders and do not have the ability to
reason right from wrong as well as other people do, and issues are triggered by
the gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people that lead them to commit
crimes, we are —
Mr J.R. Quigley interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Butler, I call you to order for the third time.
Mr J.M. FRANCIS :
As the Premier has discussed publicly in recent times, we are looking at a
range of options as ways to address Aboriginal incarceration and we are
committed to doing it.

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