Page 1567 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 31 March 2009
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
Opposition members interjecting—
MR HARGREAVES: I thought I had better go and check out the Liberal Party policy on this, so I went to the website—
Opposition members interjecting—
MR SPEAKER: Order, Mr Hargreaves! The question was about your position.
MR HARGREAVES: Yes, I know, but I could not find anything anyway, Mr Speaker. Just to allay your curiosity, there was nothing to talk about.
Opposition members interjecting—
MR HARGREAVES: The government has delivered on its promise. For the first time in our history—
Opposition members interjecting—
MR HARGREAVES: Get used to it. You have been caught napping. For the first time in our history the ACT will be able to take responsibility for—
Opposition members interjecting—
MR HARGREAVES: Mr Speaker, once upon a time people would be named for this sort of display; they would be warned for this sort of display.
Opposition members interjecting—
MR HARGREAVES: I suggest that your silence merely encourages them.
A jurisdiction should take responsibility for all its citizens, and housing prisoners in another jurisdiction clearly creates difficulties in this respect. Having our prisoners at the AMC allows them to maintain their important family networks and also gives us much more influence over their rehabilitation—much more than sentencing them to New South Wales for ever, just as they did in the 1800s. The AMC provides an opportunity to address prisoners’ social, emotional and educational needs so that they are less likely to commit crimes upon release.
The belief in the inherent dignity and value of each human person is reflected in both the physical design of the AMC and also in its operating philosophy. The fundamental operational philosophy of the AMC is a “healthy prison concept” which emphasises the importance of providing an environment where everyone feels safe, is treated with respect and is encouraged to improve themselves through the provision of purposeful activity. This philosophy emphasises rehabilitation and compliance with human rights principles—something that these guys opposite were going to wind back. They were going to repeal the Human Rights Act. That needs to be noted.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .