Page 2054 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 4 June 2019
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
their admission to the AMC. That is why, if we want to make the community safer and actually break that cycle, to reduce recidivism we need to intervene in ways that address the underlying behaviours and issues that people have in their lives and that lead them to be involved in the criminal justice system. That is how we will reduce the recidivism rate. The alternative approach is to just keep building bigger and bigger jails.
Opposition members interjecting—
MR RATTENBURY: One should never respond to interjections but the obvious ludicrousness of the interjections require it. We have expanded the AMC before, in 2013, 2014 and 2015. We took a decision then that the jail was not big enough for the population of the ACT. But we have now decided that we can also not just keep ever-expanding, because we know what will happen. In particular, if we keep expanding, more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will end up in jail. That is the reality of the system, and that is why we are taking a decision to invest in more community programs, to try and break people’s criminal cycles.
MADAM SPEAKER: Before I go to the supplementary question, I remind members that when somebody is on the floor answering the question they should be heard in silence.
MR WALL: Minister, why is your justice reinvestment strategy failing, given that this is the second time the prison has had to be expanded under your tenure as minister and that the prison population is now double what it was when you became the corrections minister?
MR RATTENBURY: We have been very up-front about the fact that this justice reinvestment strategy would include the reintegration centre. We said that right at the beginning. If the opposition think they have come up with some great expose here—we were very clear up-front that we would need some capacity in the medium term, because these justice reinvestment approaches are long-term commitments. We have taken the decision to change direction and put a greater—
Opposition members interjecting—
MADAM SPEAKER: Members, please! Do you have anything to add, Minister Rattenbury?
MR RATTENBURY: I cannot see the point, Madam Speaker.
Mrs Jones interjecting—
Mr Hanson interjecting—
MADAM SPEAKER: Members! Mr Hanson and Mrs Jones, that is enough.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video