Page 5109 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 27 October 2010
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
temporary release programs to bring drugs back into the prison and threaten staff and the families of offenders so that they will carry drugs inside to maintain a supply. Reducing the supply of drugs in the AMC will reduce this threat of violence.
It would be difficult to oppose this policy on the basis that it impedes prisoners’ human rights. The Labor government brought in the Corrections Management Act in 2007 that allowed random drug testing to be used in the Alexander Maconochie Centre. However, like many of the elements of establishing this prison, the government have failed to utilise all of the tools available to them. The government promote that the Alexander Maconochie Centre is the only human rights compliant jail in Australia. However, the failure of the government to actually live up to this claim is well documented.
The introduction of a mandatory random drug testing regime would not go against the claim of the jail being human rights compliant. Investigations by privacy commissioners in overseas jurisdictions have found that random drug testing is a justified invasion of the right to privacy if there is a significant prevalence of drug use within a group. In the case of offender populations, including the AMC, this condition is clearly met.
We do not argue that this policy is the ultimate solution—that it will eliminate the presence of drug use in the Alexander Maconochie Centre and completely discourage prisoners from using drugs in the prison. Drug use in prisons is a complex problem. With complex problems come complex situations. We support a multi-tier approach to drug use prevention; this is merely one tier, but it is an important and an effective one.
The AMC has been a litany of disasters. It cannot be argued that the establishment of the ACT’s first prison has been efficient or effective in the management of a large-scale project. The Corrections Management Act 2007 is a redundant measure if the tools provided in that act are not used effectively. As the opposition, we will continue to find ways in which we can improve the effectiveness of the prison, not only against drug use but in every aspect of the ACT’s correctional facility.
The Canberra Liberals will utilise the full realm of tools available in the Corrections Management Act to ensure that the AMC is run as effectively and as resourcefully as possible. If needed, we would expand the scope of the act to ensure that this Corrections Management Act is in line with best practice.
The environment for this policy is there. The legislative tools are there. The systems are there. But the government’s ability to use them efficiently is absent. The government would rather treat the symptom than fix the cause. Introducing a needle and syringe exchange program at the AMC attempts to fix the symptoms of drug use rather than trying to fix the problem itself. Mandatory random drug testing is in the best interests of the prisoners, the corrections staff and the wider community.
The Liberals are providing a viable and effective alternative to the government’s policy. And what is the government’s policy when it comes to the use of random testing at the Alexander Maconochie Centre? To simply allow the status quo to
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video