Page 5298 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 29 November 2017

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I could not agree more with Mr Moore. We have had an overwhelming level of support in our progressive city to remove discrimination, not impose new discrimination. What we have seen today is the vote taken in the Senate at the third reading stage on the marriage equality bill. Unfortunately, what we have seen is our ACT Liberal senator Zed Seselja abstain from the vote. In contrast, through this motion today I am asking all members—not just the majority of members but all members—to stand up and show leadership against discrimination and any ill-considered attempts of interference in our robust anti-discrimination framework.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

Alexander Maconochie Centre

MRS JONES (Murrumbidgee) (5.58): I move:

That this Assembly:

(1) notes:

(a) the Minister for Corrections has been responsible for the Alexander Maconochie Centre for five years;

(b) that, after five years, the Minister has not taken effective action to prevent deaths, bashings and escapes of inmates of the Alexander Maconochie Centre;

(i) one inmate died while in custody, with the initial toxicology report showing a mixture of methamphetamine, buprenorphine and other drugs in the inmate’s system;

(ii) two indigenous brothers were bashed so severely that they were hospitalised, and the inmates’ mother found out of their bashings via a friend on Facebook and not ACT Corrective Services;

(iii) 59 percent of male inmates and 69 percent of women inmates were unemployed and not engaged in any formal work or study arrangements as at 28 August 2017; and

(iv) 45 women were detained while the Alexander Maconochie Centre only had 29 dedicated beds for women, resulting in the repurposing of the management unit, which deprived prison officers of a facility for strict supervision of certain inmates;

(d) the follow events took place involving inmates of the Alexander Maconochie Centre in 2017:

(i) an inmate escaped custody after being admitted to The Canberra Hospital and was not found until three days later in Boorowa, NSW; and

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