❓ Mr. Logan questions delays in opening new prison units despite significant expenditure. The Minister responds with opening dates and justifications, highlighting increased capacity and prisoner involvement in refurbishment.
AnsweredQoN 682Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
NEW PRISON
UNITS — OCCUPATION
682. Mr F.M. LOGAN to the Minister for Corrective Services:
Minister, my question —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
West Swan, I formally call you for the second time today. Minister for
Transport, I call you to order for the first time today. I do not need other
people having conversations across the chamber while a member has been given
the call.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : I
note that out of the nearly $80 million spent on construction of new prison
units across the state, only two units are occupied.
(1) Given the
two new units at Hakea Prison were formally opened in April 2011 and were
expected to be occupied from June 2011, when will these units receive
prisoners?
(2) The two
units at Casuarina Prison were completed over 12 months ago, yet are still not
open; when will these units receive prisoners?
(3) Albany
Regional Prison has two units occupied, but two existing units were then closed
giving a net gain of six new beds; when will the older units be refurbished and
receive prisoners?
UNITS — OCCUPATION
682. Mr F.M. LOGAN to the Minister for Corrective Services:
Minister, my question —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
West Swan, I formally call you for the second time today. Minister for
Transport, I call you to order for the first time today. I do not need other
people having conversations across the chamber while a member has been given
the call.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : I
note that out of the nearly $80 million spent on construction of new prison
units across the state, only two units are occupied.
(1) Given the
two new units at Hakea Prison were formally opened in April 2011 and were
expected to be occupied from June 2011, when will these units receive
prisoners?
(2) The two
units at Casuarina Prison were completed over 12 months ago, yet are still not
open; when will these units receive prisoners?
(3) Albany
Regional Prison has two units occupied, but two existing units were then closed
giving a net gain of six new beds; when will the older units be refurbished and
receive prisoners?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(3)
I will go straight to the point. The Casuarina units are due to open on 23
November. The Hakea units will open on 21 December, and unit 1, Albany, will
open on 7 December.
I was down in Albany and I looked at the
fantastic new unit that is now occupied by prisoners. The units that were
vacated are not terribly old, but, as members will appreciate, prisons are used
24 hours a day, seven days a week and therefore require considerable
maintenance. The good news is that we are trying to save taxpayers'
money by using prisoners at the Albany prison to refurbish those units.
Mr
P.B. Watson : Buy local!
Mr
M.J. COWPER : Indeed, we buy
local and we are using the prisoners there to do refurbishments such as
painting. They are concerned about concrete cancer, but those units are very
sturdy and will be used into the future. We will have a fair amount of capacity
at our disposal should it be required.
Mr
F.M. Logan : When will they be
open?
Mr
M.J. COWPER : If the member for
Cockburn is asking about the refurbishment, it will open any time over the next
six to 12 months. As the member pointed out, they are not required at the
moment. It is the first time that we have had capacity in our system across
Western Australia since the Fremantle Prison closed in about 1991, I think it
was, from memory. We have been able to get ahead of the game through our
systems. The people of Western Australia gave a mandate to this government to
get criminals off the street, so we had to build capacity in our prisons. We
have an additional 2 600 beds. We have increased the number of prison officers
by 673 in the last four years. That is a substantial contrast to what the
member's government did!
Point of Order
Mrs M.H.
ROBERTS : The minister quoted some dates off a page that is resting
on his file. If that is an official document, I call upon him to table it.
The
SPEAKER : I will examine that document and if indeed it is an
official document, I will require the minister to table it. Member for
Cockburn, I ask you to stop interjecting. I will give you an opportunity to ask
a supplementary question.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mr
M.J. COWPER : That is the good news! I very much appreciate the member for
Cockburn asking that question. I am happy to provide the details to the member,
but I am to referring to my own notes, which I will happily provide to you, Mr
Speaker, to make an adjudication on.
I will go straight to the point. The Casuarina units are due to open on 23
November. The Hakea units will open on 21 December, and unit 1, Albany, will
open on 7 December.
I was down in Albany and I looked at the
fantastic new unit that is now occupied by prisoners. The units that were
vacated are not terribly old, but, as members will appreciate, prisons are used
24 hours a day, seven days a week and therefore require considerable
maintenance. The good news is that we are trying to save taxpayers'
money by using prisoners at the Albany prison to refurbish those units.
Mr
P.B. Watson : Buy local!
Mr
M.J. COWPER : Indeed, we buy
local and we are using the prisoners there to do refurbishments such as
painting. They are concerned about concrete cancer, but those units are very
sturdy and will be used into the future. We will have a fair amount of capacity
at our disposal should it be required.
Mr
F.M. Logan : When will they be
open?
Mr
M.J. COWPER : If the member for
Cockburn is asking about the refurbishment, it will open any time over the next
six to 12 months. As the member pointed out, they are not required at the
moment. It is the first time that we have had capacity in our system across
Western Australia since the Fremantle Prison closed in about 1991, I think it
was, from memory. We have been able to get ahead of the game through our
systems. The people of Western Australia gave a mandate to this government to
get criminals off the street, so we had to build capacity in our prisons. We
have an additional 2 600 beds. We have increased the number of prison officers
by 673 in the last four years. That is a substantial contrast to what the
member's government did!
Point of Order
Mrs M.H.
ROBERTS : The minister quoted some dates off a page that is resting
on his file. If that is an official document, I call upon him to table it.
The
SPEAKER : I will examine that document and if indeed it is an
official document, I will require the minister to table it. Member for
Cockburn, I ask you to stop interjecting. I will give you an opportunity to ask
a supplementary question.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mr
M.J. COWPER : That is the good news! I very much appreciate the member for
Cockburn asking that question. I am happy to provide the details to the member,
but I am to referring to my own notes, which I will happily provide to you, Mr
Speaker, to make an adjudication on.
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