Page 152 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 17 February 1993
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Belconnen Remand Centre
MR HUMPHRIES: My question is directed to the Attorney-General, Mr Connolly. I refer the Minister to reported allegations of misconduct at Belconnen Remand Centre on Christmas Day of last year, when custodial staff allegedly brought alcohol and cannabis into the remand centre and consumed it there. I ask the Minister: Has an inquiry been conducted into this incident? What was the result of the inquiry, if any? When was the Minister informed that the incident had occurred or that an inquiry was being conducted?
MR CONNOLLY: I thank Mr Humphries for the question. Yes, allegations were made on 26 December 1992. While a detainee was being investigated for other matters, that detainee made an allegation to the duty chief of the remand centre that remand centre staff had been consuming alcohol in the secure area and had offered some to detainees. He also alleged that cannabis was made available to detainees. The duty chief notified the superintendent of those allegations. The superintendent directed that every officer who had been present and on duty that day provide written reports.
The matter went up the line to the Director of Corrective Services on that day, 26 December, so immediately after the alleged incident every detainee in custody was subjected to urinalysis. The reports indicated that there may have been use of alcohol by officers; that officers may have had a drink on Christmas Day. Importantly, though, analysis reports from the hospital confirmed that no drugs or alcohol was detected among the remandees. So the allegations of passing cannabis to detainees - obviously very serious allegations - and of passing alcohol to detainees - also very serious - can be refuted.
The question of alcohol consumption by staff was further investigated. Mr Horsham, the general manager of the Housing and Community Services Bureau, directed that the formal public service discipline procedures be followed. An officer from outside the department conducted an investigation and a report which came to the general manager indicated that three officers had, on their admission, committed misconduct involving the use of alcohol and involving the use of a government vehicle. It would appear that a person took a government vehicle to pay a visit home on Christmas Day. One of the officers who admitted using alcohol has subsequently resigned from the service. The person who improperly used the government vehicle - I stress that it was to visit home - has left the service on leave without pay for two years. Further disciplinary administrative actions are currently in train and are likely to result in formal counselling action against those officers.
Mr Humphries made my office aware of this matter while I was on leave, and I gave an assurance that I would make sure that the matter was properly investigated and that I would give him a report. I gave him a report yesterday. It was essentially what I have read from here. When I spoke with the secretary of the department, Mr Hunt, in early January Mr Hunt mentioned to me that there was a public service disciplinary process in train in relation to allegations of cannabis and alcohol misuse at the remand centre, and I left the matter with him on the basis that a public service disciplinary procedure was in force. So I was aware that a process was in train. That process has come to a conclusion, and I provided a copy of the report to Mr Humphries.
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