Page 5212 - Week 17 - Thursday, 13 December 1990
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administrative procedures, particularly in regard to liaison with New South Wales; and resource costs. The operation of work release and home detention programs in other States and overseas is also being examined.
In addition, steps are being taken to ensure that prisoners such as the psychiatrically ill are sent directly to the appropriate facility, rather than to Goulburn Gaol, pending their classification. We are actively improving the quality of care given to mentally ill remandees at Belconnen Remand Centre. A qualified psychiatric nurse has been appointed to the staff, all custodial staff will receive intensive training in February 1991 entitled "Managing the Mentally Ill" - an in-service course which has attracted much interest interstate - and tenders will be called shortly, following the design stage, for the construction of six special care units at the centre for a total cost of $560,000. In addition, Mr Berry, a psychologist will commence in the new year with Adult Corrective Services to provide improved access to psychological and counselling services.
This is a period, Mr Speaker, of great growth and change in ACT Corrective Services, and I look forward to reporting to the Assembly on further developments as they occur. Need I add that I trust that on most issues we can maintain bipartisanship whilst we work through this very difficult challenge. I present the following paper:
Juvenile justice and adult corrective services - Review - Ministerial statement, 13 December 1990.
I move:
That the Assembly takes note of the paper.
MR BERRY (3.36): Mr Speaker, this issue of corrective services has been one of interest to the Labor Opposition since this Government came to power. I, for one, have been critical of the slow pace of change that presented itself in the form of Minister Collaery. It still is a serious problem for the from 75 to 90 ACT residents who are incarcerated in New South Wales gaols. I heard the Minister say this in his report to this Assembly:
I am happy to report that an overwhelming majority of those interviewed said that they felt there was no discrimination against them, although they were concerned about the threat of assault and about their rights.
The issue was never about discrimination. Discrimination has been introduced only as a bit of a red herring to divert attention from the real issue, that is, the issue of human rights in New South Wales gaols and, of course, the withdrawal of those rights. Whilst the Minister has announced some positive steps in relation to the setting up of an advisory committee to look at these issues and a
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