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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 6 Hansard (25 May) . . Page.. 1800 ..

MR HARGREAVES: My question is to the Treasurer.

Ms Carnell: It will be me. Mr Speaker, I understand that the opposition were aware that Mr Humphries would have to leave the floor for a little while at this stage. I will take the question.

MR HARGREAVES: My question through you, Mr Speaker, is to the Clayton's Treasurer. Yesterday's budget papers included an allocation of $1.4 million for the tender process associated with the construction of the ACT's new prison. In fact, for the first outyear a further $908,000 was allocated. However, yet again there is no capital works allocation in any of the outyears for the project. Yet the minister has already foreshadowed that the construction of the facility will begin in the second half of the coming financial year. Will the Treasurer confirm that the absence of any capital works allocation indicates that the government has already made up its mind that the prison will be privately built and has totally ruled out a publicly funded construction project?

MS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, the government has always been quite clear that we favour a privately built prison. A final decision has not been taken on that, but that is our preferred position. Nobody would doubt that. Heavens, we have been saying that for years. Why would we put capital works into a budget when a decision has not been taken either way? That would simply be stupid budgeting, Mr Hargreaves. We do not put money into budgets when we have not made decisions, particularly when our preferred position is to go down the path of a privately constructed facility off budget.

MR HARGREAVES: My supplementary question is: why is the government so arrogantly determined to ignore the deliberations of the Assembly's justice committee on this subject and the concerns of the community and proceed with a blind ideological commitment to private construction and operation of the territory's new prison when the government knows only too well that New South Wales and Victoria are moving away from the private prison system? Why is there no provision in the outyears, given the minister's statement that the construction of the facility will begin in the second half of the coming financial year.

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, the Chief Minister very adequately answered that question in the first part of her answer to Mr Hargreaves. If there is an arrogant ideological line here, it is coming from the party which says it must be a public prison and we should forget the evidence as to whether it is the better option or not. We have said we will listen to the evidence, and it will be public or private according to what the evidence best dictates, particularly the tender process. Mr Hargreaves says, "It must be public under any circumstances. Forget it. Nothing else is acceptable."

Mr Hargreaves: I did not say that. I have been Gary-ed.

MR HUMPHRIES: No, you have not said that, Mr Hargreaves-that is true-but your party has said it quite unambiguously, and I credit you with being a loyal servant of your party. You are not going to put forward a private prison when you know it is unacceptable to your mates up the back there. We will see what the evidence says before we make our decision.

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