Page 356 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 20 February 2018
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past year to improve the care and treatment of all detainees at the Alexander Maconochie Centre. Firstly, I take this opportunity to remember Steven Freeman, a 25-year-old Aboriginal man who died in custody at the Alexander Maconochie Centre. I pay my respect to his mother, Mrs Narelle King, and her family and acknowledge their profound loss and grief. I also acknowledge the significant impact his death has had on our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
Steven Freeman’s death is the subject of a coronial inquest. All deaths in custody are very serious matters, and there are statutory requirements for all deaths to be fully investigated. The coroner is due to deliver the findings of the inquest on 11 April 2018, and the government will consider any findings made in due course. Any loss of life within the custody of ACT Corrective Services is a serious matter that warrants appropriate scrutiny and review. It was for this reason that in June 2016 I announced an independent review into Steven Freeman’s care and treatment during his time in custody. I subsequently appointed Mr Philip Moss AM as the independent reviewer to lead this process.
The scope of the review was to examine Steven Freeman’s treatment throughout his time at the AMC. The review considered whether ACT Corrective Services systems operated effectively and in compliance with human rights obligations during Steven Freeman’s time in custody. It further examined the support services provided by other directorates and ACT Corrective Services partners.
Mr Moss titled his review So much sadness in our lives: independent inquiry into the treatment in custody of Steven Freeman. It was made available to me on 7 November 2016 and I publicly released the review on 10 November 2016. The review found that the government must do more to ensure people in custody are safe and receive appropriate health care. It highlighted the need for improvements in a range of areas, including increasing cultural proficiency to better manage the welfare of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander detainees.
The ACT government responded to the Moss review on 16 February 2017, agreeing to eight of the nine recommendations. These relate to how the management, care and supervision arrangements for detainees might be improved. They include processes that can be further developed to ensure the care of detainees is enhanced. The ninth recommendation was noted as it relates to the Health Services Commissioner, who is an independent statutory office holder, and it is being progressed by that office.
Some of the recommendations require long-term planning and have multi-year implementation time frames and budget impacts. Nonetheless, the government has already provided $3.151 million over four years in the 2017-18 budget to commence the implementation of recommendations coming out of the Moss review. This is essential work for ACT Corrective Services and remains a high priority for me and the government. In addition, the government has provided an additional $13 million in the 2017-18 budget review to further strengthen ACT Corrective Services’ capability and progress these recommendations.
All conclusions made throughout the Moss review have been noted and are being acted upon. Some of these are general observations made by the reviewer, findings
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