Page 1565 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 31 March 2009

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Mr Coe: Is it secure, John?

MR HARGREAVES: Yes. Who was it that said, “Our fundamental argument is that they should not have gone ahead with it in the first place”? It was Mr Seselja. The united Liberal Party—and there is an oxymoron, if ever I heard one, or maybe it was an ordinary moron; I am not sure—view is that no prison will be built at Hume. No prison will be built at Hume. Who said that? You are very quiet, Brendan. Mr Smyth said that. I suggest you guys just sit back and enjoy the show.

Mr Coe: Are you going to retire—

MR HARGREAVES: Ha, ha. That is clever. Go to the top of the class. Don’t take your book, sunshine. You won’t be there long enough.

Mr Speaker, while the government readily admits that it has taken longer to get to the point than we expected, it was vital that the issues which arose in the security system were rectified by the contractors before the prisoners began moving in so that the AMC was safe for the community, staff and prisoners. It was important—the crocodile tears are incredible!—for the government not to rush the process and make sure we get it right. What we have over here is Tweedledum and Tweedlestupid trying to tell me they are not going to have a jail, and then Mr Hanson says, “Get on with it quicker.” Well, get your act together if you want to be a united bunch. You are not united at all. It is a leadership challenge. It is a leadership shot.

Opposition members interjecting—

MR HARGREAVES: Maybe that was just a cheap shot. You have made your big point.

Mrs Dunne: Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order.

MR SPEAKER: Order! Minister Hargreaves, resume your seat, please.

MR HARGREAVES: Time, gentlemen, please.

Mrs Dunne: Mr Speaker, could I ask you to draw Mr Hargreaves’s attention to the standing order that requires that the answer be directly relevant to the question.

MR SPEAKER: Thank you. The point of order is upheld. Mr Hargreaves, let us have an update on the prison, please.

MR HARGREAVES: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Despite the scaremongering tactics of some opposite, the prison is a safe, secure and state-of-the-art facility. The security system at the AMC has been independently certified by Webb Australia Group, which assisted in the development of the specifications for the security system and throughout the project have been tasked with ensuring that the security system met the performance requirements of the specifications as it was installed, tested and commissioned. We have delivered on something that they were not going to and they


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