Page 2842 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 16 August 2017
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this issue. Framing this as some sort of accommodation crisis that suggests people are sleeping on the floor, which has been the tone of some of the public comments, is a mischaracterisation of the situation.
In closing, I will not be supporting the motion brought forward by Mr Wall, on behalf of Mrs Jones, today. I move the following amendment that has been circulated in my name:
Omit all words after “(1)”, substitute:
“notes:
(a) the increasing population of detainees across Australian correctional systems;
(b) the recent increase of women detainees in particular;
(c) the ACT is leading work on behalf of Corrective Services Administrators’ Council in preparing research for the 2018 Corrective Services Ministers Conference on the increased rates of female offending and imprisonment and presenting recommendations on how to address this;
(d) that ACT Corrective Services is currently reviewing accommodation usage within the Alexander Maconochie Centre to better meet the needs of female detainees in the short to medium term;
(e) the 2017-18 Budget provided funding for a feasibility study to consider future accommodation needs. The needs of female detainees is the first priority for the feasibility study; and
(f) that the statistical modelling methodology used to inform projections are publicly available on the ACT Corrective Services website; and
(2) calls on the Minister for Corrections to continue to provide regular updates to the Assembly on these matters as required.”.
This amendment notes that there has been an increasing population of detainees, particularly women. It notes the work that is now being undertaken at a national level, led by the ACT. It notes that strategic planning is going on in regard to accommodation, including for female detainees. One of the things I am committed to is that we will continue to update our population data projections on a regular basis and not wait. The work that Mr Walker is currently doing for us was a planned reassessment of our projections to make sure that we keep on top of it.
I am happy to continue, as I have noted in the amendment, to provide regular updates to the Assembly on these matters when I have new information available for the Assembly. That is something I have done throughout my time as the Minister for Corrections, on a number of occasions unprompted by calls from the opposition and on other occasions in response to motions that have been brought forward. I have always been willing to come to this place and provide updates and I will continue to do that. I commend my amendment to the Assembly.
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