Mr MALEY - 2002-02-26
Minister, given the answer from your predecessor that he had no knowledge of a direction which was purported to be given by him or his office, are you aware of any occasion when the previous minister directed staff at the Darwin Correctional Centre that they could transfer only Asians and whites, but not Aboriginal prisoners, to Alice Springs?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, the answer is a categorical no. There has been absolutely no suggestion from any member of Correctional Services, from the CEO downwards whom I have spoken to, to that extent. What I can say is that we have instigated some action regarding the placement of prisoners between Alice Springs and Darwin.
I was very aware, when I came into the portfolio, of the large numbers of letters I was getting from prisoners requesting transfers back to one or another of the two gaols. With my CEO, we have put in place a number of initiatives now to try to give us more flexibility on where prisoners are placed including the recommissioning of the Wildman River Camp as being a place for both juvenile and adult offenders to be kept. That will provide a bit of a safety valve.
In addition, since November last year, the prisoner numbers have gone from 702 down to 650. This is largely because of the start of the impact of the law reforms that were brought in late last year. That in itself has relieved the pressure on the gaols in that the main reason for prisoner transfers was the overcrowding in the Berrimah Gaol above its capacity which was causing Correctional Services to have to relocate prisoners.
That is the extent of my knowledge of it and there certainly has been no suggestion of any of the criteria that the opposition is putting forward.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, the answer is a categorical no. There has been absolutely no suggestion from any member of Correctional Services, from the CEO downwards whom I have spoken to, to that extent. What I can say is that we have instigated some action regarding the placement of prisoners between Alice Springs and Darwin.
I was very aware, when I came into the portfolio, of the large numbers of letters I was getting from prisoners requesting transfers back to one or another of the two gaols. With my CEO, we have put in place a number of initiatives now to try to give us more flexibility on where prisoners are placed including the recommissioning of the Wildman River Camp as being a place for both juvenile and adult offenders to be kept. That will provide a bit of a safety valve.
In addition, since November last year, the prisoner numbers have gone from 702 down to 650. This is largely because of the start of the impact of the law reforms that were brought in late last year. That in itself has relieved the pressure on the gaols in that the main reason for prisoner transfers was the overcrowding in the Berrimah Gaol above its capacity which was causing Correctional Services to have to relocate prisoners.
That is the extent of my knowledge of it and there certainly has been no suggestion of any of the criteria that the opposition is putting forward.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016