Page 5698 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 6 December 2011
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MS GALLAGHER: Thank you, Mr Speaker, and I am getting there. Before the opposition start their campaign against the tattooing service or investigating regulating a tattooing service, I think again we need to put the facts on the table. There is a serious issue around hepatitis C at the jail. It requires a comprehensive blood-borne virus management strategy. Some of that may be met through a safe exchange program for needles; some of it will be around education for staff; some of it will be around education for prisoners; some of it will be making staff accountable for blood-borne virus management within the jail. Some of it may be dealt with through a regulated tattooing service. Based on the information we have, we are aware that needles are being used as tattoo guns and that that is presenting considerable risk to prisoners within the jail, with very high levels of hepatitis C. We know that of those tested, of those who participated in a screening test, about 60 per cent test positive for hepatitis C—
Mr Hanson: Mr Speaker—
MR SPEAKER: Order! One moment, Chief Minister. Stop the clock, thank you. Yes, Mr Hanson.
Mr Hanson: On an earlier ruling, I asked—
MS GALLAGHER: I am coming to the point.
Mr Hanson: I ask that she does that.
MR SPEAKER: Chief Minister, you only have 39 seconds left. Could you respond to Mr Hanson’s specific question, thank you.
MS GALLAGHER: I would have about a minute and 39 seconds if I had not had all the points of order raised. If the government decides to implement a safe tattooing service at the jail, there would be a very clear and thorough proposal put about how that was to be run. I would suspect that background checking on who would be able to perform that would form part of the due diligence of implementing a program like that.
MR SPEAKER: Mr Hanson, a supplementary.
MR HANSON: The cost of an average tattoo ranges from $100 to $700. Who will bear the cost of paying for a professional tattooist of this amount per prisoner who is tattooed?
MS GALLAGHER: It does appear that Mr Hanson has spent more time researching tattoos and the cost of tattoos than he has the cost of hepatitis C on the community and the impact that actually has, because you will find that that is quite a bit more than the tattoo. The government is investigating the possibility of looking at a regulated tattooing service. Of course the costs of that would be clearly identified, they would be transparent and it would be a matter that would be discussed here in the Assembly.
MR SMYTH: A supplementary, Mr Speaker.
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