Page 2191 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 3 August 2021
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instigated changes in operational arrangements at AMC to ensure that staff are safe into the future and detainees are well remanded.
Alexander Maconochie Centre—incidents
MR MILLIGAN: My question is to the Minister for Corrections. On 12 May this year, there was yet another riot and fire at the AMC. The fire resulted in an accommodation unit being taken offline. An officer’s station was burned, and detainees had to be relocated. As of 18 June, the accommodation unit was still unable to house detainees. Minister, how much longer will this accommodation unit be unusable?
MR GENTLEMAN: It will be some time. It takes quite a bit of work to engage construction staff. With repairs at the AMC, due to its particular nature, being a secure installation, we want to make sure that the area is safe for those workers and safe for detainees. We do move detainees around the AMC to ensure that repairers can get in and do those operations. I do not have a final time line on that repair.
MR MILLIGAN: Minister, what is the estimated cost to Canberra taxpayers of the damage to the accommodation unit?
MR GENTLEMAN: I will take that on notice.
MR CAIN: Minister, what is the total estimated cost of this riot so far for Canberra’s taxpayers, including damage assessments, contracted engineers’ reports and operational costs?
MR GENTLEMAN: There is quite a bit of detail in that question. I will take it on notice and come back to the chamber.
ACT Corrective Services—staff health and safety
MRS KIKKERT: My question is to the Minister for Corrections. Minister, following the AMC riot on 10 November 2020, another serious fire was lit on 14 November, causing the loss of 28 beds. All four corrections officers who responded to the fire had out-of-date training. Two had had their fire training cancelled a few months earlier. One officer recalled that the fire was so hot that it was melting their boots. After an incident like this, a formal debrief must occur, but no such debrief happened. These serious WorkSafe failings contributed to the inspector of corrections issuing several recommendations after his review of the incident. Minister, why are you risking the lives of officers by requiring them to fight fires without up-to-date training?
MR GENTLEMAN: I will refer Mrs Kikkert to my previous answer on training, where the opposition said it was not important, but it is, as we have just heard from Mrs Kikkert! I mentioned in my previous answer the detailed levels of operational training that is occurring on aspects of fire, aspects of breathing apparatus and safety training regarding the detainees.
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