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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 1 Hansard (14 February) . . Page.. 133 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

I do not believe Mr Berry, with a cheap line like "Where's the plan?", detracts one iota from the strength of that record over that period.

Belconnen Remand Centre

MR HARGREAVES: Following the non-answer to Mr Corbell about suppressed reports from the Minister for Urban Services-

Mr Corbell: He's just a very slow reader, John.

MR HARGREAVES: That's a shame. I want to ask a question about another suppressed report, this time from the minister for corrective services. Minister, the New South Wales Department of Corrective Services has audited the Belconnen Remand Centre security after three inmates escaped in July last year. I understand that a second investigation is under way after Mathew Massey escaped from the BRC in November. Will you release the reports so that proper scrutiny and accountability of the aCT correction systems can occur, and will you immediately release the first report?

MR MOORE: This is absolutely unbelievable, Mr Speaker. This is the man who constantly accuses this government of being secretive. The example he uses in the press about being secretive is that we do not release a report on the security of the Belconnen Remand Centre. What do you think about that, I ask rhetorically of you, Mr Rugendyke? Who should we publish it through first? Let us say we give the first copy to the inmates so they know exactly where there are weaknesses in the Belconnen Remand Centre. Then we will do the visitors so they know how to suss them out. Then, thirdly, we should send it across to people who are likely to wind up in the Belconnen Remand Centre or who have been there and might be back again so they know what to do.

Mr Hargreaves: So you are not going to fix it up?

MR MOORE: Are we going to deal with security at the Belconnen Remand Centre? Mr Hargreaves knows that we recently put an electric fence around the roof of the remand centre. He knows that the roof from where Mr Massey escaped has been covered with mesh.

Mr Stanhope: The roof he punched his way through.

MR MOORE: Yes. It has been covered with mesh. More importantly, what we do know is that the Belconnen Remand Centre is totally inadequate. That was one of the first things I said. I know that Mr Humphries has been saying that for some time. That is why we are setting about building a new one.

Mr Rugendyke: What about home detention? You picked up my idea.

MR MOORE: And why we have just announced that $350,000 will go towards introducing what Mr Rugendyke raised prior to the last election, home detention. Home detention will not resolve all the problems of the Belconnen Remand Centre, and that is not its main goal. It may ease the pressure somewhat. We are looking at other methods as well to ease problems at the Remand Centre. Let us come back to the real question. Will I release the report on the security of a prison? Don't be stupid.

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