Page 1702 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 13 May 2015
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The report also recognises the complexities in providing rehabilitative services, particularly within the AMC, given its combination of both male and female detainees, as well as remand and sentenced detainees, and the mix of classifications. I can assure Mr Doszpot that I am taking the Auditor-General’s report seriously. I will be presenting a government response to the Assembly in due course, and we will be taking on board the findings of the Auditor-General in that response.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Doszpot.
MR DOSZPOT: Minister, why is there no planning rehabilitation framework, no evaluation framework and no finalised case management policy after six years?
MR RATTENBURY: What I can assure Mr Doszpot is that the AMC has the highest rate of participation in programs of any jail in the country. There has been a very strong emphasis by Corrective Services on ensuring access to programs for our detainees to give them as many skills as possible so that when they finish their time in detention they have learnt new skills while inside the AMC to maximise the chances of them not coming back.
That said, yes, there is room for improvement; the Auditor-General has clearly identified that. But the Auditor-General’s report is not the be-all and end-all. For example, the Auditor-General’s report did not examine at all alcohol and other drug programs in the AMC, yet if you think about the cohort that comes into the AMC, more often than not their biggest single problem is alcohol and other drug issues.
It is important to recognise the scope of what the Auditor-General has looked at. There is a lot more going on in the AMC than just this. We must take seriously what the Auditor-General has found. When I present the government’s response, members will see that we are taking those matters seriously and seeking to address and take on board the findings that the Auditor-General has made.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Wall.
MR WALL: Minister, why has the AMC failed to meet the high standards that were promised before the prison opened?
MR RATTENBURY: I do not know what specific standards Mr Wall might be referring to. People have made all sorts of comments about the jail over time, including our colleagues on the other side of the table, who have taken every possible chance to try and talk it down and highlight the weaknesses in the place. The jail does have its share of problems, but it is about working through those, it is about continuous improvement and it is about providing the best possible services to the detainees so that when they come out of jail we have minimised the prospect of them coming back as much as we can.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Wall.
MR WALL: Minister, why has the AMC failed to meet its objectives as a human rights compliant prison?
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