Page 1128 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 25 March 2015
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The community needs to be brought on board, and the government needs to promote and sell these developments. If this were done correctly, this development would and should be supportive of both the community at large and the small businesses within the precinct. Many of the petitioners are small business owners, and their livelihoods are being impacted by decisions of government. They simply request that proper consideration be given to the impact that this development at the Dickson group centre will have, both during and after construction.
I ask the government and the planning minister to take note of the traders’ concerns, in the hope they are given proper consideration in both current and future proposals that may impact them at the Dickson centre.
Alexander Maconochie Centre—security breaches
MR WALL (Brindabella) (3.20): I move:
That this Assembly:
(1) notes:
(a) that a number of well-publicised, serious breaches of security relating to the use of mobile phones have occurred at the Alexander Maconochie Centre (AMC) in recent months;
(b) current systems and policies in place at the AMC to deter and detect contraband such as mobile phones within the jail are ineffective; and
(c) the NSW Liberal and Nationals Government have been successful in extending a trial of phone jamming technology at Lithgow Correctional Centre; and
(2) calls on the ACT Government to develop a new strategy to deter and detect contraband entering and exiting the AMC and provide a briefing on this strategy to Members of the ACT Legislative Assembly upon request.
I move this motion today in the wake of a number of highly publicised instances of contraband entering and exiting Canberra’s jail in recent times. This issue, of course, is not limited to what has occurred in past months. The AMC has had a history of security breaches that have been well publicised through the media since the opening of the jail in 2011. However, for the motion today the focus will be on recent occurrences.
Firstly, I should start by defining what contraband in the jail is. The first item that immediately springs to mind when talking about contraband is illicit drugs. However, contraband also includes a number of items that could be considered quite innocent to someone who is not incarcerated. Contraband can include makeshift weapons, items that can be used to fashion a weapon and items as innocent as a piece of rope or wood. Tattoo guns, mobile phones, cigarette lighters, alcohol and even excess food can be included in this list. We must consider that these items are used in jail as currency and
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