Page 1567 - Week 04 - Thursday, 29 March 2012
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between directorates and especially the core relationship between Justice and Community Safety and our Health colleagues. Across the board I believe it is correct to say that these relationships are going from strength to strength. I am very committed to strengthening our intragovernmental relationships, and the work of the task force is reflecting this commitment. ACT Health has assisted in responding to the many health-specific recommendations that are talked about in the progress report that I table today, as well as those where there are shared responsibilities.
Complex issues around culture and organisational structure cannot be addressed at the push of a button. This government will, however, continue to take a rational, steady and sure approach to addressing such complex issues. Nor are some of the matters that have the potential to require capital works capable of a quick fix—for example, in connection with general accommodation and crisis support arrangements. But the government has already set in train processes to address such longer term issues.
For now, I want to talk about what has been achieved to date.
As I said earlier, 73 of the 133 recommendations have been completed already. I would like to highlight just some of those achievements in tabling the update report.
Extremely important in the life of a detainee is food. In fact, as a general rule, food and visits are said to be the two most important things to detainees. Twenty-two of the 133 recommendations were food related, and 21 of these are now complete. It is important to note that many of the food-related issues were dealt with as early as July last year. The task force considered such things as seasonal menus, the bulk service system, gathering feedback from detainees, low-calorie drinks, meat package sizes, varieties of bread, milk, yoghurt, fish, legumes, pulses, cooking oils, fruit, vegetables and produce generally, utilising a qualified dietician to assess our conformance with Australian food standards, teaching detainees cooking practices, cleaning agents, food safety and banned food. I expect the remaining food-related recommendation, relating to meal transport, to be completed shortly.
In response to a range of issues around accommodation, whether expressed in specific or general terms, the government is well into the process of conducting a feasibility study into future accommodation needs of the AMC. This study is well advanced, with consultant project managers and architects already engaged to develop concepts to allow the AMC to adapt to trends in detainee numbers.
In relation to the crisis support unit, possible works are being considered to further limit the risk of self-harm by detainees in the CSU cells and provide a safer working environment for custodial staff. The extent of works could include an upgrade to the 10 CSU cells and the guard station. I am advised that the work in the cells is not expected to require structural changes but will involve the replacement of fittings and furniture to reduce the potential for self-harm. This work is required, particularly considering the vulnerable state of the detainees that are moved to the CSU, and can be undertaken one cell at a time without seriously impacting on the operation of the CSU. The officers’ station work could include replacing the open officers’ desk with a combination of a secured office and an open desk.
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