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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 4 Hansard (29 March) . . Page.. 1047 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

Mr Speaker, I sincerely hope that it will be possible to include women in that prison. It remains the Government's desire to build a prison that will accommodate a number of categories of prisoner, including women prisoners. The only thing I would make clear is that I cannot promise absolutely and categorically that there will be women or, indeed, any other particular category in the prison until I know how it will fit into the overall operation of the prison. There will be no other institution in Australia, perhaps none other in the world, that will contain so many different categories of prisoner under the one roof or set of roofs. There is no other in the world, as far as I am aware. We are embarking on a very different process here to incorporate so many categories of prisoner in the one facility. I hope that we will be able to do it, but I do not want to promise more than I can deliver. Therefore, my position is that I will try to include women. I hope to include women; certainly, it is highly desirable that we include women. But I cannot promise that absolutely and categorically without further information.

MR SPEAKER: Do you have a supplementary question, Mr Osborne?

MR OSBORNE: Yes, Mr Speaker. Minister, I do hope that women will be included, because I think the general feeling of all members of the committee was that there should not be a cost issue in relation to that category of prisoner. Nevertheless, we look forward to your response. Minister, has the final make-up of the advisory committee been completed? I have a question to you on the number of people who are to be on that committee; I think it is 18. Are you confident that it will be workable with that number of people on it?

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, the point about the inclusion of women that I think Mr Quinlan - I am sorry, Mr Osborne - is making is that it is - - -

Mr Quinlan: You have a fixation with me.

MR HUMPHRIES: Yes. I am sorry about that, to both of you. Mr Speaker, my view is that there is a social issue here. I hope that it is not a question of saying that it will cost us $X to include women and it will cost us $Y - only two-thirds of that amount - to include sex offenders; therefore, we will take the sex offenders and the women can go to New South Wales. We realise that there is a very important social dimension to this matter. I agree with the sentiment that Mr Osborne's question just reflected, which is that there is a very important value in having women, particularly women with families, especially those nursing young children, as very often they are, unfortunately, close to their family homes. For that reason, there is a very powerful argument which goes beyond cost for having women included in the ACT prison.

Mr Speaker, we are close to finalising the composition of the community panel. I am happy to read out the current list of organisations that have been invited to nominate to the panel. Of course, it is to be chaired by Mr Leedman.

Ms Carnell: You are running out of time.

MR HUMPHRIES: The Chief Minister tells me that I have not got time.

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