❓ Mr. Kirkup questions the Minister for Corrective Services about the Greenough Regional Prison riot, attributing it to budget cuts. The Minister deflects, blaming the Leader of the Opposition's comments and highlighting issues with the prison's unit management.
AnsweredQoN 997Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
GREENOUGH REGIONAL
PRISON — CRITICAL INCIDENT REVIEW —MINISTER FOR CORRECTIVE
SERVICES
997. Mr Z.R.F. KIRKUP to the Minister for Corrective
Services:
Before I ask my question, I would
like to recognise the staff and student leaders from Glencoe Primary School in
my district, who were hosted by the member for Carine while I was speaking on
the matter of public interest.
I refer to the critical incident
review into the Greenough Regional Prison riot, and I quote —
� following a Superintendents Conference
in September 2017, where the focus was on the tight
fiscal environment, budget pressures and the need to reduce overtime costs, �
The subsequent cuts to overtime and
excessive lockdowns caused the riot. Can the minister confirm that the main
underlying cause of Western Australia's largest ever prison break-out
was his unrealistic budget cuts and that he was ultimately responsible for this
infamous historic event?
PRISON — CRITICAL INCIDENT REVIEW —MINISTER FOR CORRECTIVE
SERVICES
997. Mr Z.R.F. KIRKUP to the Minister for Corrective
Services:
Before I ask my question, I would
like to recognise the staff and student leaders from Glencoe Primary School in
my district, who were hosted by the member for Carine while I was speaking on
the matter of public interest.
I refer to the critical incident
review into the Greenough Regional Prison riot, and I quote —
� following a Superintendents Conference
in September 2017, where the focus was on the tight
fiscal environment, budget pressures and the need to reduce overtime costs, �
The subsequent cuts to overtime and
excessive lockdowns caused the riot. Can the minister confirm that the main
underlying cause of Western Australia's largest ever prison break-out
was his unrealistic budget cuts and that he was ultimately responsible for this
infamous historic event?
AnswerView source ↗
I am glad we had the debate on the
suspension of standing orders earlier because it allowed a number of members of
the opposition, including the Leader of the Opposition, to put on the record
their views on this issue. It really surprised me. It is a very serious issue,
but what did we get in the response from the Leader of the Opposition? He said
that we kept them in the cooler—meaning prisoners—and no wonder
they rioted. That was the mature response from the Leader of the Opposition.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Minister.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : The poor
prisoners!
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Warren–Blackwood, you are on two. Is something happening in Denmark
tonight? Member for Carine, you can wave to the crowd, but I call you to order
for the first time.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : That was the
response we got from the Leader of the Opposition—those poor prisoners;
we should not do this to them. The issue, if the Leader of the Opposition tries
to read the report, is that during the adaptive regimes, the prisoners —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members! You
asked the question; just let him answer. The person who asked the question is
not interjecting; it is everybody else on this side.
Mr J.E. McGrath interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for South
Perth, I call you to order for the first time—even though you are my
bowling coach!
Mr F.M. LOGAN : The prisoners
were under adaptive regimes, which were rolling lockdowns. That meant that they
were confined to their units, not to their cells. That meant that, from time to
time during the day, they got out to do what they needed to do. That does not
justify trashing the place to pieces and putting people's lives at
risk. But, according to the Leader of the Opposition, that is okay, because
those poor prisoners —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members! Do you
want question time to end early today?
Mr F.M. LOGAN : According to
the Leader of the Opposition, we were treating those poor prisoners badly—we
were keeping them in the cooler. No, Leader of the Opposition; their complaint
was that they could not have a shower before visits and they could not go onto
the football pitch whenever they liked. Hard luck!
Dr M.D. Nahan interjected.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the
Opposition, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : My view is
that that is hard luck. They are in prison.
Mr A. Krsticevic interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Carine!
Mr F.M. LOGAN : If those
adaptive regimes are used properly, like every other prison, it will be a safe
and secure prison. Going to the very heart of the member's question —
Mr P.A. Katsambanis interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Hillarys, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : The reject
from Victoria!
Several members interjected.
Withdrawal of Remark
The
SPEAKER : Members! Minister, you will refer to the member by his
proper title. Withdraw that.
Mr F.M.
LOGAN : Sorry; I will withdraw that.
The SPEAKER : Thank you.
Questions without
Notice Resumed
Mr F.M. LOGAN : Going to the
very point of the member's question, if he wants to see exactly why the
riot happened, he should look at the cohort in unit 2 and at the information
that was coming up through the channels about the people in unit 2. They should
have been broken up. They were dangerous and violent and they were likely to
riot, and they did. That is the cause and we are not going to excuse it.
suspension of standing orders earlier because it allowed a number of members of
the opposition, including the Leader of the Opposition, to put on the record
their views on this issue. It really surprised me. It is a very serious issue,
but what did we get in the response from the Leader of the Opposition? He said
that we kept them in the cooler—meaning prisoners—and no wonder
they rioted. That was the mature response from the Leader of the Opposition.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Minister.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : The poor
prisoners!
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Warren–Blackwood, you are on two. Is something happening in Denmark
tonight? Member for Carine, you can wave to the crowd, but I call you to order
for the first time.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : That was the
response we got from the Leader of the Opposition—those poor prisoners;
we should not do this to them. The issue, if the Leader of the Opposition tries
to read the report, is that during the adaptive regimes, the prisoners —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members! You
asked the question; just let him answer. The person who asked the question is
not interjecting; it is everybody else on this side.
Mr J.E. McGrath interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for South
Perth, I call you to order for the first time—even though you are my
bowling coach!
Mr F.M. LOGAN : The prisoners
were under adaptive regimes, which were rolling lockdowns. That meant that they
were confined to their units, not to their cells. That meant that, from time to
time during the day, they got out to do what they needed to do. That does not
justify trashing the place to pieces and putting people's lives at
risk. But, according to the Leader of the Opposition, that is okay, because
those poor prisoners —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members! Do you
want question time to end early today?
Mr F.M. LOGAN : According to
the Leader of the Opposition, we were treating those poor prisoners badly—we
were keeping them in the cooler. No, Leader of the Opposition; their complaint
was that they could not have a shower before visits and they could not go onto
the football pitch whenever they liked. Hard luck!
Dr M.D. Nahan interjected.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the
Opposition, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : My view is
that that is hard luck. They are in prison.
Mr A. Krsticevic interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Carine!
Mr F.M. LOGAN : If those
adaptive regimes are used properly, like every other prison, it will be a safe
and secure prison. Going to the very heart of the member's question —
Mr P.A. Katsambanis interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Hillarys, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : The reject
from Victoria!
Several members interjected.
Withdrawal of Remark
The
SPEAKER : Members! Minister, you will refer to the member by his
proper title. Withdraw that.
Mr F.M.
LOGAN : Sorry; I will withdraw that.
The SPEAKER : Thank you.
Questions without
Notice Resumed
Mr F.M. LOGAN : Going to the
very point of the member's question, if he wants to see exactly why the
riot happened, he should look at the cohort in unit 2 and at the information
that was coming up through the channels about the people in unit 2. They should
have been broken up. They were dangerous and violent and they were likely to
riot, and they did. That is the cause and we are not going to excuse it.
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