Page 388 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 14 February 2017
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MR RATTENBURY: This follows on from the question Mr Gentleman was just asked in that I am not sure about the veracity of that newspaper report. I can confirm that there was an incident in the AMC on the date that Mrs Jones is referring to. I do not think it is accurate to characterise it as “three officers were assaulted”. Nonetheless, there was injury sustained, particularly by one officer, who required transportation to hospital, and there was a need to use force to restrain a detainee. That is the situation that occurred. I do not think the newspaper report was completely accurate.
These things do happen from time to time. Our staff are highly trained in how to deal with what can be very difficult situations. The acting head of Corrective Services followed up with the union after that newspaper article and there has been a discussion to follow through on the concerns that the union held.
MRS JONES: Minister, what immediate mitigation strategies have been put in place to prevent this from happening again, or is it simply something that you believe will always happen?
MR RATTENBURY: There is already a range of strategies in place to seek to avoid these sorts of incidents happening. Right through the corrections system, steps are put in place to avoid staff, particularly, being assaulted, to ensure as much as possible that other detainees are not assaulted and that staff have a range of training options to minimise the risk to themselves of being injured and to maximise their capability to ensure good order inside the AMC.
An example like this is one that there will also be significant reflection on, to look at whether improvements can be made, and that is part of an ongoing process of improvement in this sort of environment. But we also need to be realistic: this is a difficult environment and at times some detainees will seek to resolve matters through the use of violence. We need to ensure that our staff are best equipped and trained to minimise the risk of injury, to themselves in particular.
MR WALL: Can the minister advise the Assembly on the progress of implementing all the recommendations made to and agreed by the government since the establishment of the AMC given the long litany of issues that continue to occur there?
MR RATTENBURY: If I recall correctly, in the sitting week before Christmas this exact question was raised. A motion was passed and the government has undertaken to report back to the Assembly on the exact question Mr Wall has just asked me. That reporting date is in a couple of months’ time; I cannot recall the date of the top of my head. I will provide that information when is has been assembled.
ACTION bus service—services
MR STEEL: My question is to the Minister for Transport and City Services. Can the minister update the Assembly on measures the government is taking to deliver on our commitments to better bus services for the people of Canberra?
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