Page 1661 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 4 May 2010
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breaches at the Belconnen Remand Centre that were exacerbated by the late opening of the ACT’s new prison—the numerous security incidents in late 2008 and early 2009 at the BRC, including violence that resulted in corrections officers being treated in hospital. The prison was delivered over 12 months late. Congratulations! The prison was officially opened on the eve of the ACT election, five months prior to receiving prisoners. Congratulations, Simon, on the sham opening.
But the prison was delivered under scope. Congratulations. You got it down from 374 beds to 300 beds. The only problem is that you managed to spend more than you initially started with: a $110 million budget became a $128 million budget, which became a $131 million budget. Congratulations that the prison has defects remaining in the security system. Congratulations, minister, that drugs, needles and razor blades were found in the prison shortly after the first prisoners arrived.
The list goes on. The RFID system is not yet operational, and recently a number of ID bracelets were lost. There have been breaches of the 2009 corrections management policy. And, as mentioned, congratulations that the prison is costing ACT taxpayers $504 per prisoner per day.
Canberrans would expect that when they spend so much money, so much above what is spent in other states, they would get not only a human rights compliant prison but a prison where we did not see these kinds of problems constantly surfacing, where we did not see prisoners being locked down for 20 hours a day. What part of human rights compliant is that? Lock them up for 20 hours a day! I reckon that for hundreds and hundreds of years prisons have been able to deliver that kind of service—locking down prisoners. That would be about the easiest way of managing a prison population. That would be one of the cheapest ways of managing a prison population. Lock them in their cells for 20 hours a day—a good way to save money. But this government manages to spend more than anyone else and yet deliver what is fast becoming a debacle.
The motion goes on, and it goes to some of the failings. But those of us who saw WIN news on Friday night saw this former prisoner who was essentially laughing at the fact that he was able to walk out of the prison when he was not meant to. He was able to walk out of this prison. And, as he said, anyone else could have. Murderers, bad armed robbers—they all could have got out; it was that easy. Indeed, it could have been. I do not know what this man’s criminal history is. I do not know the details of why he was incarcerated. But it could have been someone who was violent. It could have been someone who was a danger to the community. I do not know whether this man is a danger to the community or not, but that is the point. That is the point: when you lose control of the prison in the way that this government has, under the leadership of this minister, these are the kinds of outcomes we get. Canberrans who saw that would be embarrassed—embarrassed that we have a government that oversees such a shambles. It is an embarrassment to us. It is an absolute embarrassment that someone would be able to simply walk free—walk free from the prison when they are not lawfully supposed to walk free.
Mr Hanson has laid out a detailed case. It is rare that you see such a litany that underpins a motion, whether it be a censure motion or any other motion. This is a long
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