Mrs BRAHAM - 1996-10-08
In the September sittings, the member for Fannie Bay stated that a media release, issued by the CLP government in July 1992, claimed the new Alice Springs Correctional Centre had an inmate capacity of 450 prisoners. Is her statement true?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, to present the situation very clearly, during the committee stage of the Appropriation Bill in the September sittings, the following interchange took place:
Ms Martin: On 2 July 1992, the previous Minister for Correctional Services, the member for Katherine, stated
that a jail was to be built in Alice Springs. It was to be a maximum security jail, it was to house up to
450 prisoners, it was to cost $20m and it was to be finished in 2 years. Any reasonable, rational
Territory taxpayer would ask what had happened in the meantime to blow the cost out. That was what was said
in 1992 about the jail.
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Mr Hatton: Where was this said?
Ms Martin: It was stated in a press release issued by
the Minister for Correctional Services on 2 July 1992.
Mr Hatton: You are quoting from it. Will you provide
me with a copy of it?
Ms Martin: Speak to Mike.
Mr Hatton: No. You are quoting from it. Send a copy
to us.
The member for Fannie Bay declined to send a copy to us. I did ask `Mike', the member for Katherine, and we did search all our records, including our computer records, to try to find the press release the member for Fannie Bay alleged had been issued. While we have very good records, our best endeavours could not turn up any such press release. The member for Fannie Bay ...
Mr Bell: It had you really worried, didn't it? How long did you spend on this, Steve - 2 hours, 3 hours?
Mr HATTON: I am more than happy to deal with this issue. I suggest you keep quiet for a second.
We are unable to find any press release dated 2 July. We found a press release announcing the correctional centre, dated, I think, 30 July 1992, and stating something entirely different from what the member for Fannie Bay said. In making those allegations, the member for Fannie Bay was effectively accusing me of at the least gilding the lily, if not misleading the House. I take such matters very personally. As an expression of generosity of spirit, I give the member for Fannie Bay the opportunity either to table that press release that she was quoting from or to stand up in this Chamber and apologise for misleading this parliament. I give her the chance to do that today, prior to my taking the alternative and making a reference to you, Mr Speaker, for her having deliberately misled this parliament. It is her choice. I will quote from the press release of 30 July 1992.
Mr Bailey: Table it.
Mr HATTON: I am happy to table this press release. It says quite clearly:
The new prison will have an initial capacity of 250 prisoners and will replace the outdated and overcrowded
Alice Springs Gaol on Stuart Terrace. It will be built on an 87 ha site about 25 km from Alice Springs,
opposite the Brewer Estate.
There is no mention of the 450 prisoners, none whatsoever.
Ms Martin interjecting.
Mr HATTON: The member for Fannie Bay has made a very specific allegation. This is her chance ...
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Ms Martin: You could not explain ...
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr HATTON: She is at it again. She says: `I heard that there was an audit report from 1990-1995 in Alice Springs'.
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member for Wanguri will withdraw that remark.
Mr BAILEY: I withdraw the remark, Mr Speaker.
Mr HATTON: She said she had heard a rumour that there was an audit report into Alice Springs prison covering the period 1990-1995, and it had been conducted in the last 12 months. No such audit report was carried out. For 2 weeks, she continued to ask why I had not tabled this report. She said that we had cut the budget for the Alice Springs Correctional Centre, removing the airconditioning and heating from the original design. It was never in the design brief. She has a track record.
Here is her chance. There is always an outside possibility that our records are not up to date or that something is missing from them. Here is her chance. Members of this House have a unique privilege. We have a privilege of freedom of speech in this Chamber, but with that privilege and with that right goes a responsibility to tell the truth.
Page 1632
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, to present the situation very clearly, during the committee stage of the Appropriation Bill in the September sittings, the following interchange took place:
Ms Martin: On 2 July 1992, the previous Minister for Correctional Services, the member for Katherine, stated
that a jail was to be built in Alice Springs. It was to be a maximum security jail, it was to house up to
450 prisoners, it was to cost $20m and it was to be finished in 2 years. Any reasonable, rational
Territory taxpayer would ask what had happened in the meantime to blow the cost out. That was what was said
in 1992 about the jail.
Page 1630
Mr Hatton: Where was this said?
Ms Martin: It was stated in a press release issued by
the Minister for Correctional Services on 2 July 1992.
Mr Hatton: You are quoting from it. Will you provide
me with a copy of it?
Ms Martin: Speak to Mike.
Mr Hatton: No. You are quoting from it. Send a copy
to us.
The member for Fannie Bay declined to send a copy to us. I did ask `Mike', the member for Katherine, and we did search all our records, including our computer records, to try to find the press release the member for Fannie Bay alleged had been issued. While we have very good records, our best endeavours could not turn up any such press release. The member for Fannie Bay ...
Mr Bell: It had you really worried, didn't it? How long did you spend on this, Steve - 2 hours, 3 hours?
Mr HATTON: I am more than happy to deal with this issue. I suggest you keep quiet for a second.
We are unable to find any press release dated 2 July. We found a press release announcing the correctional centre, dated, I think, 30 July 1992, and stating something entirely different from what the member for Fannie Bay said. In making those allegations, the member for Fannie Bay was effectively accusing me of at the least gilding the lily, if not misleading the House. I take such matters very personally. As an expression of generosity of spirit, I give the member for Fannie Bay the opportunity either to table that press release that she was quoting from or to stand up in this Chamber and apologise for misleading this parliament. I give her the chance to do that today, prior to my taking the alternative and making a reference to you, Mr Speaker, for her having deliberately misled this parliament. It is her choice. I will quote from the press release of 30 July 1992.
Mr Bailey: Table it.
Mr HATTON: I am happy to table this press release. It says quite clearly:
The new prison will have an initial capacity of 250 prisoners and will replace the outdated and overcrowded
Alice Springs Gaol on Stuart Terrace. It will be built on an 87 ha site about 25 km from Alice Springs,
opposite the Brewer Estate.
There is no mention of the 450 prisoners, none whatsoever.
Ms Martin interjecting.
Mr HATTON: The member for Fannie Bay has made a very specific allegation. This is her chance ...
Page 1631
Ms Martin: You could not explain ...
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr HATTON: She is at it again. She says: `I heard that there was an audit report from 1990-1995 in Alice Springs'.
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member for Wanguri will withdraw that remark.
Mr BAILEY: I withdraw the remark, Mr Speaker.
Mr HATTON: She said she had heard a rumour that there was an audit report into Alice Springs prison covering the period 1990-1995, and it had been conducted in the last 12 months. No such audit report was carried out. For 2 weeks, she continued to ask why I had not tabled this report. She said that we had cut the budget for the Alice Springs Correctional Centre, removing the airconditioning and heating from the original design. It was never in the design brief. She has a track record.
Here is her chance. There is always an outside possibility that our records are not up to date or that something is missing from them. Here is her chance. Members of this House have a unique privilege. We have a privilege of freedom of speech in this Chamber, but with that privilege and with that right goes a responsibility to tell the truth.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016