Page 3069 - Week 07 - Thursday, 30 June 2011
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A couple of issues came up specifically during the estimates process to do with the removal of the superintendent. We have been through that last week. The superintendent was clearly dismissed; he was removed from his position. He said that due process was not followed. He said that he feels like the political scapegoat. He said in part he believes that it was because of his opposition to an NSP. They are very serious allegations that have been made by a very senior officer within corrections—indeed, the most senior front-line officer that we have, running the AMC.
For him to make those allegations I think was worthy of further investigation. I think there are some systemic issues that were addressed in the Hamburger report about the continuity issue and the strong leadership that needs to be provided at the AMC if we were not going to see safety and security problems. And that is an issue that we need to look into. I am, again, disappointed that the government and the Greens did not see fit to inquire into that issue. I have spoken with him since that decision was made and he is disappointed.
I think a major part of his disappointment is twofold. Firstly, he has real concerns for the staff at the jail and whether there will be the appropriate leadership now to take them forward, particularly in light of the empowerment that this whole issue has given to prisoners. Secondly, there has been a taint, a smear, on his reputation. And after 34-plus years in corrections services, both here in the ACT and in New South Wales, it is a smear that you will not have a chance to rectify. So he is very disappointed.
We have also seen Bill Aldcroft from Prisoners Aid make a statement to Mr Moore’s inquiry, basically saying that he asked prisoners about it in an objective way, not in the subjective way that others who are advocating for an NSP will want to do. There are many groups going to that jail who want an NSP and who are pushing for it, not least Mr Moore, who is a very strong advocate for an NSP. But if you actually ask the question objectively, of the 150 prisoners that he asked the question of, 100 per cent gave the answer that they do not want an NSP.
Recently, since the estimates inquiry, we saw the staff present this Assembly with a petition. As I understand it, the petition made it very clear that the staff objected to an NSP. The reasons have been well outlined but principally it was due to safety. All staff who were available to sign it, barring one or two, signed it. So the overwhelming majority, upwards of 90 per cent, objected to an NSP. That is a fight that we will continue on behalf of the prisoners, on behalf of the staff and on behalf of the community.
Turning now to ACT Policing, just like their corrections colleagues who have a very difficult job, who work hard out at the jail in very difficult circumstances, so do our police. I had the privilege with Mr Seselja and Ms Hunter to go out on a tour of the town with Chief Police Officer Quaedvlieg. I thank the minister for inviting us to do so. It was a fascinating tour. We met many of the officers out there on the street who were dealing with the problems that they deal with in Civic. We got to see the RAPID technology and a number of other situations that the police find themselves in, including at the watch-house, and it is clear that they are doing a great job.
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