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- 1 September 2004
Correctional Centres
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Page: 10568
The Hon. KAYEE GRIFFIN: My question is addressed to the Minister for Justice. What is the latest information regarding inmate numbers, the future status of correctional centres and budgetary allocations?
The Hon. JOHN HATZISTERGOS: I am pleased to respond to this very important question, because on 23 June the Hon. Don Harwin asked me a question about the current status of the Wellington correctional centre and I thought I cleared up misconceptions which existed in the minds of Opposition members at that time relating to the Government's commitment to the construction of that facility. However, to my great surprise, during the break the shadow Minister fed a lot of misinformation in relation to the Government's commitment. The shadow Minister issued a press release on 23 June headed "New prison program in doubt", followed by an article in the Daily Liberal headlined "State commitment to Wellington jail 'shaky' ", which stated that the State Government's commitment to Wellington jail was "still shaky". That was notwithstanding the commitment I had given to the House earlier that month. In the Wellington Times on 23 August the shadow Minister issued another statement headlined "Shadow Minister says we're being 'conned' over the jail", which stated:
… the State's prison population is levelling off, the lack of action last year and the extension of the completion date can only suggest the Government believes the need for the Wellington jail may be easing.
Whilst he told the people of Wellington and the mid-west that the Wellington gaol was not to go ahead, he then conducted a tour of Bathurst and Lithgow where he told the people that because Wellington was going ahead the status of gaols in Bathurst, Grafton and Cooma would have to be revised, and they may have to be closed.
The Hon. Tony Kelly: The biggest mistake he made was not knowing that both Wellington and Bathurst get the same news service.
The Hon. JOHN HATZISTERGOS: Yes, of course, and they found this contradiction. He told the Wellington people that Wellington was not going ahead and he told the Bathurst and Lithgow people that their gaols were going to close because Wellington was going to go ahead, all in the space of a few weeks.
The Hon. Michael Egan: What do the people of Wellington think of that?
The Hon. JOHN HATZISTERGOS: They all shook their heads when they heard this misinformation. But the shadow Minister was not the only one with misinformation about what the Government was going to do with this matter. The honourable member for Clarence did him right over in the misinformation stakes when he said that he had uncovered a secret plan—how secret was it if he knew all about it? In a press release on 15 July the honourable member for Clarence said there was a secret plan whereby the Government was going to cut the budget of the Department of Corrective Services by 20 per cent. The Treasurer would be interested in this. According to the honourable member for Clarence the Treasurer had cut my budget in a secret plan that he had not even told me about. Further, the honourable member for Clarence said:
… the Government has set aside $90 million to quell riots from the smoking ban
It is alleged in that press release that my budget has been cut by 20 per cent, but that $90 million has been allocated to quell riots as a result of the non-smoking policy, which the Government actually does not have.
The Hon. Michael Egan: Why didn't he tell me?
The Hon. JOHN HATZISTERGOS: This is the interesting misinformation. I thank the honourable member for this opportunity to be able to clarify the facts. The fact is that the Government is preparing for an increase in prisoner population and that is why Wellington and Dilwynnia are being constructed and why the facility at Kempsey is operational. By 2008 the Government anticipates that there will be about 10,000 people in custody as a consequence of our better policing and revision of the bail laws.
The Hon. KAYEE GRIFFIN: I ask a supplementary question. Will the Minister elucidate his answer?
The Hon. JOHN HATZISTERGOS: With pleasure. The Government has been expanding country facilities, not reducing them. For example, in Tamworth there are 30 additional beds and we have reopened Cooma with 120 beds. Glen Innes, Broken Hill and Oberon have increased by 30 beds. Goulburn has increased by 75 beds at its High Risk Management Unit. Brewarrina and Oberon have increased by 20 beds. Junee has an additional 150 beds, and Mannus has an additional 40 beds. The Government is accommodating the increase in the population, unlike what happened when the Coalition was in office. The former Coalition Government introduced truth in sentencing provisions but never built a gaol, except for Junee. No other facilities were increased.
The Hon. Melinda Pavey: There was also another one at Bathurst, don't be tricky.
The Hon. JOHN HATZISTERGOS: Let me tell you that, of course, Bathurst was demolished in the riots during the Coalition's term in office—and it was eventually reopened. Let me not be diverted. I remind the House of the Coalition's expansion plans when it was in office. First, its Minister for Corrective Services went to the then Premier and asked for the reopening of Katingal; that was its first strategy. Then Minister Yabsley went around telling judges and magistrates to use periodic detention as an alternative to imprisonment to ease overcrowding. It then had Yabsley looking at the importation of shipping containers to be used for cells. It then had a revised policy on classifications in which it was to downgrade people from maximum security to medium or minimum security. That was the Coalition's strategy for dealing with the increase in prisoner population. This Government's strategy is infinitely better. However, the Coalition would do it all again, because Nick Greiner's protégée, Mr Brogden, said on 24 November 2002:
As Liberals we aim to open schools and close prisons.
I have no problem with the opening of schools policy, but I do have a problem with closing prisons. [Time expired.]
The PRESIDENT: Order! I call the Hon. Melinda Pavey to order for the first time.
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