Page 812 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 16 June 1992

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Prisoners in Interstate Institutions

MR STEVENSON: My question is to Mr Connolly and concerns prisoners in gaols outside the ACT who were ACT residents prior to being gaoled. What is the total number of prisoners in gaols or remand centres outside the ACT? What gaols are they in and how many are in each gaol? For those prisoners who have relatives or friends who would like to visit them, is there any reason why most, if not all, could not be placed in Goulburn Gaol?

MR CONNOLLY: When ACT prisoners go into the New South Wales system they are received into either Long Bay or Goulburn. They then get distributed within the New South Wales prison system, depending essentially on security classification rather than proximity to Canberra. Many are in Goulburn or Cooma or low security facilities to the west of this region; but it is possible for ACT prisoners to end up in other areas of the system, just as it is possible for a Sydney prisoner to end up at Grafton or Cooma or points west. Mr Stevenson did give me the courtesy of indicating during the last sittings that he was interested in the specific statistics, but the efficiency of my office in cleaning out the last sittings questions brief in preparation for these sittings has meant that I do not have with me now the detailed list of prisoners by facility which I had in preparation for the last sittings. I undertake to get that to Mr Stevenson very swiftly.

Ms Follett: Madam Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the notice paper.

Premiers Conference

MS FOLLETT: Madam Speaker, I would like to add to an answer that I gave to Mr Kaine's question early on in this question time. Mr Kaine asked me about a figure in the forward estimates of, I think, $211.6m. Madam Speaker, I believe that the figure that Mr Kaine has referred to is actually the specific purpose payment from the Commonwealth.

Mr Kaine: That is right.

MS FOLLETT: Indeed. Mr Kaine has clarified that. I would like to say, Madam Speaker, that this year's version of that sum will not be known until the Commonwealth has brought down its own budget. It is in fact separate from the figures that we were discussing in relation to the Premiers Conference. The specific purpose payments are determined by the Commonwealth and, as I say, we will not know the amount until after the Commonwealth has brought down its budget.

Chief Minister's Staff

MS FOLLETT: Madam Speaker, I would like also to answer a question that was asked of me in the last sittings of the Assembly. I took on notice part of a question from Mr Kaine relating to the increased cost to the Executive budget as a result of the altered staffing arrangements in my office. I would like to advise that the total additional recurrent cost to the Executive budget arising from


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