Mrs PADGHAM-PURICH - 1994-12-01
What is the future of the Gunn Point Prison Farm in relation to: work parties of its prisoners going to work at the juvenile camp at Wildman River and the juveniles currently there going to the Don Dale Centre which is overstaffed at present; working parties of prisoners working at or near the Berrimah Research Farm and on the demolition of the old Darwin hospital dormitory unit; and the taking of all removables from the Gunn Point Prison Farm to the future Alice Springs prison farm?
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I thank the member for her question and will make a general comment first. I believe all members realise that the Gunn Point Prison Farm will be closed down one day. Certainly, at this time, the government has made no decision about the future of Gunn Point. Currently, we are in the preliminary stages of examining the various options that are available. Work parties will continue at Gunn Point and not only at Wildman River. We will continue to offer the use of prisoners on projects around the Northern Territory to assist in improving assets, such as national parks, Northern Territory parks and recreational facilities, by utilising mobile work camps etc. However, certainly, no decision has been made to move prisoners from Gunn Point to work at Berrimah Research Farm.
We have a problem in that we do not have enough minimum security prisoners at Darwin Prison to utilise fully some of the facilities that are available in the industry section. We will attempt to redress that balance over the coming months. Of course, as the Alice Springs Prison comes on line, we will be moving some prisoners from Berrimah to Alice Springs. They will not be only minimum security prisoners. In fact, they are more likely to be medium and high-security prisoners. As they are moved to the new facility at Alice Springs, that in turn will release bed space at Darwin Prison. We will then move some of the minimum security prisoners from Gunn Point Prison Farm to Darwin Prison to utilise fully the industry section of Darwin Prison. Nevertheless, at this stage, no decision has been made in relation to the future of Gunn Point Prison Farm.
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Page 376
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I thank the member for her question and will make a general comment first. I believe all members realise that the Gunn Point Prison Farm will be closed down one day. Certainly, at this time, the government has made no decision about the future of Gunn Point. Currently, we are in the preliminary stages of examining the various options that are available. Work parties will continue at Gunn Point and not only at Wildman River. We will continue to offer the use of prisoners on projects around the Northern Territory to assist in improving assets, such as national parks, Northern Territory parks and recreational facilities, by utilising mobile work camps etc. However, certainly, no decision has been made to move prisoners from Gunn Point to work at Berrimah Research Farm.
We have a problem in that we do not have enough minimum security prisoners at Darwin Prison to utilise fully some of the facilities that are available in the industry section. We will attempt to redress that balance over the coming months. Of course, as the Alice Springs Prison comes on line, we will be moving some prisoners from Berrimah to Alice Springs. They will not be only minimum security prisoners. In fact, they are more likely to be medium and high-security prisoners. As they are moved to the new facility at Alice Springs, that in turn will release bed space at Darwin Prison. We will then move some of the minimum security prisoners from Gunn Point Prison Farm to Darwin Prison to utilise fully the industry section of Darwin Prison. Nevertheless, at this stage, no decision has been made in relation to the future of Gunn Point Prison Farm.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016