Mr BALCH - 2000-10-11
Minister, you would be aware that I have been working with residents in my electorate in regard to cleaning up parks and walkways, particularly in the Wagaman area, and cleaning up graffiti in particular. In that regard, we have had a lot of support and assistance through the Community Support Program. Can you advise honourable members of the work being performed under this program and the benefits that it brings to our community?
ANSWER
I will be very, very pleased to, Mr Speaker. As the honourable member said, in fact, I have had the pleasure of working with him, and I am obviously waiting for a return of my graffiti busting kit that he borrowed. However, the point we want to make here is this particular work has been carried out with the assistance of some very willing community groups. That includes Neighbourhood Watch groups and students and teachers from local schools. But, as the honourable member pointed out, the graffiti clean-up efforts also benefited from the support of prison officers and prisoners from the Correctional Services Community Support Program. That program, as most members would know, was introduced in 1997 in line with this government’s commitment to use low-security prisoners in community projects, and to use them as a means of providing some sort of compensation to the community for the cost of crime.
The projects provide meaningful work and work experiences for the prisoners. Some of the projects that have been completed by the Community Support Program in the past few months certainly need to be enunciated. We have had a major clean-up at the Telegraph Station in Alice Springs. We have had the welding of railings for the Riding for the Disabled. We had an enormous clean-up effort around the town of Alice Springs in readiness for the Royal visit that occurred. We had a major clean-up in Tennant Creek in readiness for the St Pat’s weekend. We have had assistance with preparations for the V8 Super Cars weekend at Hidden Valley. There has been flood damage repairs to Orange Creek Station and Owen Springs Station which were carried out in conjunction with the Cattlemen’s Association of the Northern Territory. We have had construction of 20 new dog kennels for the RSPCA, and that was a project which provided substantial cost savings to the RSPCA, and it certainly gave pretty valuable work experience and skills development for the prisoners involved. There has been assistance for Greening Australia with the beautification and the clean-up of the Timber Creek Heritage Trail, and that includes installation of irrigation systems and tree planting.
So, all in all, this program initiated by the government has certainly been of benefit to our community and it has also assisted community groups working in the Territory.
I would just like to take the opportunity to pay tribute to the prison officers involved in this program. In Darwin: Peter Truman, Joel McClennan, Greg Jones, Warren McLean, Damien Clark and Wayne Dries. In Alice Springs: Russell Naismith, Ken Roberts, John Brown, Robert Ryan and Jack O’Connor. Those officers put a lot of time and effort into ensuring the success of that program. Quite often they put time and effort above and beyond the call of duty and beyond what they are expected in their normal line of duty. I thank them Mr Speaker, and I thank the prisoners who have also put in a lot of effort. Hopefully, those prisoners will use those skills that they have gained in contributing to society when they are finally released from prison.
Mr PALMER (Leader of Government Business): Mr Speaker, I would ask that further questions be placed on the Question Paper.
ANSWER
I will be very, very pleased to, Mr Speaker. As the honourable member said, in fact, I have had the pleasure of working with him, and I am obviously waiting for a return of my graffiti busting kit that he borrowed. However, the point we want to make here is this particular work has been carried out with the assistance of some very willing community groups. That includes Neighbourhood Watch groups and students and teachers from local schools. But, as the honourable member pointed out, the graffiti clean-up efforts also benefited from the support of prison officers and prisoners from the Correctional Services Community Support Program. That program, as most members would know, was introduced in 1997 in line with this government’s commitment to use low-security prisoners in community projects, and to use them as a means of providing some sort of compensation to the community for the cost of crime.
The projects provide meaningful work and work experiences for the prisoners. Some of the projects that have been completed by the Community Support Program in the past few months certainly need to be enunciated. We have had a major clean-up at the Telegraph Station in Alice Springs. We have had the welding of railings for the Riding for the Disabled. We had an enormous clean-up effort around the town of Alice Springs in readiness for the Royal visit that occurred. We had a major clean-up in Tennant Creek in readiness for the St Pat’s weekend. We have had assistance with preparations for the V8 Super Cars weekend at Hidden Valley. There has been flood damage repairs to Orange Creek Station and Owen Springs Station which were carried out in conjunction with the Cattlemen’s Association of the Northern Territory. We have had construction of 20 new dog kennels for the RSPCA, and that was a project which provided substantial cost savings to the RSPCA, and it certainly gave pretty valuable work experience and skills development for the prisoners involved. There has been assistance for Greening Australia with the beautification and the clean-up of the Timber Creek Heritage Trail, and that includes installation of irrigation systems and tree planting.
So, all in all, this program initiated by the government has certainly been of benefit to our community and it has also assisted community groups working in the Territory.
I would just like to take the opportunity to pay tribute to the prison officers involved in this program. In Darwin: Peter Truman, Joel McClennan, Greg Jones, Warren McLean, Damien Clark and Wayne Dries. In Alice Springs: Russell Naismith, Ken Roberts, John Brown, Robert Ryan and Jack O’Connor. Those officers put a lot of time and effort into ensuring the success of that program. Quite often they put time and effort above and beyond the call of duty and beyond what they are expected in their normal line of duty. I thank them Mr Speaker, and I thank the prisoners who have also put in a lot of effort. Hopefully, those prisoners will use those skills that they have gained in contributing to society when they are finally released from prison.
Mr PALMER (Leader of Government Business): Mr Speaker, I would ask that further questions be placed on the Question Paper.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016