Page 1422 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 6 April 2011
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with the Alexander Maconochie Centre. We are genuinely and truly committed to human rights. We are committed to the Alexander Maconochie Centre. We are committed to the underpinning philosophy. We will not walk away from it.
We took the decision to build this centre, this state of the art, human rights compliant prison in the ACT, with our eyes open. We know of the political difficulties in relation to corrections. We know that there are no votes in the construction, delivery and management of a human rights compliant prison. But we did not do it because we wanted to be loved for doing it. We did it because we know it is right and it is consistent with what we stand for. At the end of the day, I am glad that we stand for these things and I abhor the fact that the Liberal Party stands for nothing. We stand for human rights and we stand for the inherent dignity of every person within this community and we note that you stand for nothing. (Time expired.)
Debate interrupted in accordance with standing order 74 and the resumption of the debate made an order of the day for a later hour.
Sitting suspended from 12.32 to 2 pm.
Questions without notice
Alexander Maconochie Centre—drugs
MR SESELJA: My question is to the Attorney-General. The Burnet report states:
A common concern among interviewees was that drug and alcohol-related policies at the AMC are developed without sufficient consultation with frontline staff.
Attorney-General, why are front-line staff not consulted on key drug and alcohol-related policies?
MS GALLAGHER: Mr Speaker, we will continue with how we started yesterday, in that the Burnet report comes under my portfolio, in relation to that area of the Burnet report, and there will be, of course, an interim government response provided to the recommendations tomorrow.
There have been concerns raised in the report by key informants, saying that they do not feel consulted on policies and that they feel that policies come from in town or central office. My understanding is that these policies are developed in consultation with staff. But I think what the Burnet report says is that staff are not feeling that they are having a valued role in that consultation. So we need to do better in terms of talking with staff and letting them know where their input has fed into policy and decision making.
MR SPEAKER: Mr Seselja, a supplementary question?
MR SESELJA: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Attorney-General, to what extent has the lack of consultation with front-line staff on drug policies exacerbated the free flow of drugs into the AMC?
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