Page 3587 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 22 October 2013
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
Mr Hanson: A point of order on relevance.
MADAM SPEAKER: A point of order, Mr Hanson.
Mr Hanson: The question, and the answers, are not about what the minister is now going to do with round tables and so on. The question is about why we were told that it was going to have capacity for 25 years and now we realise after three years of operation that it is full. What is the explanation for that?
MADAM SPEAKER: I will draw Mr Rattenbury’s attention to the question, which I wrote down as: why is the AMC full after three years when it was planned to last for 25 years? Could you be directly relevant to the question?
MR RATTENBURY: I will endeavour to be, Madam Speaker. I was trying to go about it simply by saying that I am pulling together the stakeholders to actually discuss those reasons. There are a range of speculated drivers and there are a range of plausible explanations as to why the AMC is at such a high population figure at the moment, including increases in police numbers, and more arrests arising from that. There have been changes to various sentences passed by the ACT Legislative Assembly. Various members across this chamber have been privy to raising the sentences under various ACT laws, including Mr Hanson and his colleagues. So there are a range of likely drivers, and that is why the prison has reached the population it has, and that is why—(Time expired.)
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Wall.
MR WALL: Minister, did Treasury modelling correctly predict that the AMC would be full in 2013?
MR RATTENBURY: I do not have the numbers to hand. I will have to reflect on that and check the answer for Mr Wall.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Wall.
MR WALL: When will you release all the Treasury and other modelling that is available to you that will be used for the planned increase in capacity for the now needed expansion at the AMC?
MR RATTENBURY: Just a clarification: do you mean the proposed expansion?
MR WALL: Yes.
MR RATTENBURY: Work is currently underway to fully assess the best facilities to meet the future demands of the AMC. That work is currently underway. I am not in a position to release anything at this time as it is ongoing work.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video