Page 3114 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 9 November 2021
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The Blueprint for Change Oversight Committee, chaired by Ms Christine Nixon, was established earlier this year. Drawing on recommendations from recent reviews and reports, key areas of focus for the committee include engagement and leadership, strategy and training, and operational service delivery. I receive regular updates from Ms Nixon, as chair, and am pleased with the progress of the work of the committee to date. The committee will continue to work towards the finalisation of the blueprint in early 2022.
There has been a dramatic improvement in the mandatory training compliance rates for our staff. Between October 2020 and August 2021, compliance rates improved significantly, as follows: breathing apparatus refresher training increased from 15 per cent currency to 85 per cent; CPR refresher training increased from 69 per cent currency to 85 per cent; fire awareness training increased from 30 per cent currency to 83 per cent; first-aid training increased from 82 per cent currency to 96 per cent; and the use of force refresher training increased from 10 per cent currency to 95 per cent. Training is also important to enable our staff to feel confident and empowered in their roles, and I am pleased to see this improvement in training levels. I look forward to seeing even greater improvement in the near future.
Significant progress has been made in implementing a number of outstanding recommendations arising from previous reviews by oversight agencies, and I want to take a moment to thank those involved in the review of services provided in the corrections portfolio, including the Inspector of Correctional Services, the Ombudsman and the Auditor-General, to name just a few. The reports produced through these review processes serve to highlight areas requiring increased focus or improvement and are crucial to driving the continuous and sustained improvement of our service.
In the middle of this year, female detainees were returned to their purpose-built accommodation within AMC. These facilities were designed specifically with the needs of women in mind. The women offenders framework was also finalised earlier this year, following extensive stakeholder consultation. The framework reflects the guiding principles that underpin the management of women offenders in the ACT, both custodial and in community settings.
The alternative off-site parole reporting option for Indigenous clients was introduced recently and is delivered in partnership with local Indigenous service providers. This means that Indigenous parolees may now report to ACTCS at particular community sites, as an alternative to traditional parole-reporting arrangements.
There has been significant progress in developing the integrated offender management framework, or the IOM. This is a key reform that aims to operationalise an efficient, effective and integrated model for the delivery of services and programs across corrections. I look forward to the finalisation of the IOM framework early next year. I am pleased to advise that repairs to AU-North have been completed and it has been reintroduced into service as detainee accommodation. Although there has been strong progress on a range of fronts over the past year, I do recognise that we need to do more.
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