Page 4462 - Week 15 - Thursday, 22 November 1990
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MR BERRY: Now that the Chief Minister has given you his undying support, as he did in question time, Mr Speaker, I am sure that you will give them the protection that they need.
This issue of recidivism is an important one and its measurement is important. I know the Minister is a little upset that this was exposed during the course of the hearings, but it really needs to be addressed. I think the Minister by now has taken on that issue.
As this is a cognate debate, in relation to the capital works program there was some discussion of the provision of the parliamentary zone child-care facility. That has been a longstanding matter, and the Labor Party and I are very happy that it will now go ahead because the provision of those services is important.
One area of concern was the provision of the community service building in the Tuggeranong Valley. That project has been long awaiting commencement. It is pleasing that construction will now go ahead, although it is rather disappointing that the Government was not able to spend the funds that were put aside in the Follett budget to deal with that matter. But the position has been the same in respect of many other projects which the Government stopped shortly after it came into office.
I include amongst those the provision of services for psychiatrically ill remandees at the Belconnen Remand Centre. The expenditure of funds to provide those facilities, for which there is an undoubted need, was blocked by this Government for political purposes. The delay has some impact on members of the community who might require those services, the need for which has been demonstrated by some tragic events in the community in recent times. I have said before in this place that it seems that on occasions it requires a tragedy to jolt this Government and, in particular, this Minister into action.
One other area of concern was the decision by the Government to close down the activities centre at the Belconnen Remand Centre and an admission that there were no real rehabilitation or vocational programs within our correction system at the Belconnen Remand Centre. I say again, Mr Speaker, that the best that the Minister or his department could come up with was that they were looking at options. It strikes me as rather odd that they would close down a vocational program and then decide to look at options. It seems to me that it is an admission of failure which is being covered up by the Minister and his department. I think that issue will require further investigation, and we will get it, because of the ill effects that it has on people who are remanded in our corrections system.
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