Department for Correctional Services, $341,779,000

Minister:

Hon. P. Malinauskas, Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety.

Departmental Advisers:

Mr D. Brown, Chief Executive, Department for Correctional Services.

Mr C. Sexton, Executive Director, People and Business Services, Department for Correctional Services.

Ms J. Casey, Director, Governance and Executive Support, Department for Correctional Services.

Ms K. Flannery, Manager, Executive Services, Department for Correctional Services.

The CHAIR: I declare the proposed payments open for examination. I refer members to the Agency Statements, Volume 1, and I invite you, minister, to introduce any new advisers you have with you.

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: Thank you, Mr Chairman. On my right, I have Mr David Brown, Chief Executive, Department for Correctional Services. On my left is Mr Chris Sexton, whose official title is Executive Director, People and Business Services.

The CHAIR: Thank you. Do you have an opening statement?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: The year 2016 has been a challenging, but very exciting, year for Correctional Services, with one of the key highlights being the launch of the 10 by 20 strategy to reduce the number of people re-entering correctional services by 10 per cent by the year 2020. The South Australian prison population grew by 7.9 per cent in 2015-16, and although the growth slowed to 3.2 per cent in 2016-17, the 10 by 20 initiative aims to further stem the growth of prisoner numbers and alleviate the pressure on our prison system by reducing the rate of reoffending. Most importantly, the 10 by 20 initiative will create a safer community, with fewer victims and less crime occurring.

In 2016, a strategic policy panel was tasked with providing independent strategic advice on the development of a three-year reform strategy for 10 by 20. The panel handed down its report, comprising of six overarching themes and 36 recommendations, which outline a systematic change in the approach to the management of offenders. The state government has accepted all recommendations of the policy panel and released earlier this month an action plan that outlines the government's commitment to reducing reoffending and building community safety.

The state government has committed over $40 million, including $28,103,000 in new funding to achieve this target. A total of $18.9 million has been budgeted over the forward estimates for the New Foundations program to support offenders leaving prison to obtain stable accommodation and support services to reintegrate back to the community.

A total of $9.2 million has been allocated across the forward estimates to deliver the Work Ready, Release Ready program to ensure more prisoners have work skills upon release from prison and to link offenders with job network providers.

Rehabilitation programs focusing on family violence, sex offending, violent offending and drug and alcohol dependency will also be further expanded, with approved funding of $12.5 million extended to 2020-21. Tailored rehabilitation will focus on the needs of Aboriginal offenders to address the disproportionately high rates of incarceration and reoffending.

The reality is that Aboriginal Australians experience higher levels of disadvantage than non-Aboriginal Australians on a range of measures, and the state government is committed to ensuring that the specific and cultural needs of Aboriginal offenders are appropriately addressed through the provision of supports, services and programs.

Expanding community supervision and reintegration is also a key pillar of the strategy and will include the expansion of the home detention programs, with additional monitoring staff, technology and support and rehabilitation services for offenders.

The Department for Correctional Services has already undertaken a number of reforms to increase non-custodial interventions, including the delivery of the Bail Accommodation Support Program. The state government committed $9.773 million to deliver this program, which officially opened in May this year. The opening was a huge milestone for Corrections and the culmination of five years of work.

The Bail Accommodation Support Program is a significant investment in South Australia's justice system and provides short-term accommodation for up to 30 alleged offenders on bail who would otherwise be remanded in custody due to a lack of accommodation in the community. This is also a prime example of meaningful partnerships between the government and the non-government sectors.

The10 by 20 strategy will also reduce costs to the community. The fact is that it is expensive locking people up, and this will free up government resources to invest in schools and hospitals rather than prisons and courts. We will have safer communities, fewer victims and a possible cost saving of approximately $20.5 million.

As we continue to realise the impact of these outcomes, the pressure on the prison system continues to be adequately managed by expanding capacity across the existing prison infrastructure. Since the start of this term of government in 2014, the state government has invested $242.5 million on extra capacity in our prisons, which equates to an additional 883 beds.

During 2016-17, an additional 142 beds were commissioned across the prison system at Mobilong, Mount Gambier and Port Augusta, with a further 128 expected to come online in the first quarter of 2017-18 at Port Augusta.

In June this year, I had the great pleasure of opening Mobilong's newest accommodation facility, the Eyre Unit. The Eyre Unit has been designed to fit with Mobilong's prison operating philosophy and further support an incentive-based regime system in which prisoners can progress through independent living accommodation.

In addition to this wonderful new unit for prisoners, there is an additional support building for staff, comprising an officers' station and multipurpose interview rooms, which can facilitate one-on-ones with professional services staff and conduct videoconferencing for the purpose of courts and legal visits.

Expanding capacity across the existing prison sites means jobs for local businesses, jobs for contractors and subcontractors and, importantly, jobs in Corrections. Over the last year, I have had the pleasure of seeing over 150 training correctional officers graduate into what will be a challenging but rewarding career.

In terms of community safety, the department's obligations do not just end with prisoners and offenders. Corrections must maintain an ever present duty of care to victims of crime. Earlier this year, it was announced that DCS would be part of a trial implementing GPS tracking ankle bracelets on domestic violence offenders. The trial is aimed at increasing the safety of victims and preventing perpetrators from reoffending by employing technological advances to better protect South Australians.

Despite the substantial challenges facing our prison system, I am committed to working with DCS to ensure it continues to fulfil its obligations to effectively manage the state's prisoners and offenders while exploring new pathways and implementing changes to benefit the system and, ultimately, the community.

At the conclusion of those remarks, I want to quickly put on record my sincere thanks to the men and women working within the department. I think it is fair to say that, despite the substantial challenges I have just outlined, not only has the department, by and large, managed well the circumstances and the pressures they are currently under, it has also had the ability to focus on what I have been very keen to see, which is a strategic, wholesale shift in the focus of Corrections towards reducing the rate of reoffending.

That has been a substantial policy undertaking and has required leadership and also a lot of hard work from a number of people working with DCS. I want to put on the record my sincere thanks to them for being able to do that because to manage a complex operational environment and also lead strategic change is quite a substantial effort, and I do want to sincerely express my thanks for a lot of hard work that has gone on within DCS in relation to that.

The CHAIR: Member for Schubert, do you have an opening statement?

Mr KNOLL: No.

The CHAIR: Please proceed to questions.

Mr KNOLL: I refer to Budget Paper 4, Volume 1, page 154, Custodial services, Activity indicators. What was the daily average prisoner population for the April to June quarter?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: The April to June quarter of 2016-17?

Mr KNOLL: Yes.

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: I do not have a quarterly number, but I think it would be best to give the member for Schubert the actual daily average figure as at 30 June last financial year. Would that be of use, rather than the quarterly breakdown?

Mr KNOLL: I assume it is 3,001. That is what is in the budget, but that is only an estimated result.

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: No, it was the 2,998 figure. The actual daily average was 2,998.

Mr KNOLL: We were told at Budget and Finance that the January to March figure was 3,062. We also know that the nine-month figure to the end of March was 2,977 and if I roughly do the maths, it means that for the June quarter it is somewhere around 3,070, or thereabouts. I said 3,073, but if we are subtracting three, my numbers are going to be a bit off. Minister, the projection for 2017-18 states that 2,989 is going to be the prisoner population daily average for the 2017-18 year. How was that figure arrived at?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: The department undertakes a very substantial exercise when it comes to prisoner projections. It is actually quite a complex exercise, but the department has proven to have a pretty good track record when it comes to trying to project prisoner numbers. It is an inexact science, naturally. We are trying to predict the future, and there are a large number of inputs that can affect what actually results in terms of the prison population, but the department has a forecasting exercise where it projects what the daily average will be. As you quite rightly state, the daily average projection for the 2017-18 financial year is 2,989.

Mr KNOLL: You said in your introductory remarks that the prison population increased by 3.2 per cent this year. The year before it increased by 7.9 per cent. On my maths, over the last six years, there has been about a 6 per cent average increase?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: Correct.

Mr KNOLL: How is it that you are actually budgeting for a decrease in prisoner population over the coming 12 months?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: Naturally, the department has to recast forecasts and projections on the basis of relevant policies the government may have or other legislative changes that may exist, so there are a few key things that will have an impact this financial year that were not present last financial year. We have seen an expansion in home detention numbers that members should all be familiar with but, also, in last year's state budget there was an investment of in excess of $9 million, I think—I am advised it was $9.9 million—towards additional criminogenic programs.

One of the key objectives of the investment in the extra criminogenic programs was making sure that prisoners got the programs they needed in order to be able to be paroled in some instances, and also to not come back. A combination of those things, amongst other things, has seen that forecast reduce in 2017-18.

Mr KNOLL: Let me unpack that a bit. Looking here at the forecast prisoner population for 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18, as provided in the Public Works Committee submission on the Port Augusta prison expansion (this is from September 2015), it says that for the 2015-16 financial year you were predicting a 2,772 daily average. It ended up being 2,870, so it missed on the upside by 100 people. In 2016-17, it was predicted to have 2,853—sorry, that was 2,870. For 2017-18, it was predicted to be 2,937 and it ended up at 3,000.

In fact, if I were to go back to previous years, the prison population has overshot rather than undershot basically every single estimate. Given the fact that the long-term average is about 3 per cent and the average over the last five years has been 6 per cent, I struggle to see how these figures are going to have a level of credibility unless there is something more specific coming into play.

I will move on to a question rather than commentary. In March 2017, the department made a submission to the Select Committee into the Administration of South Australia's Prisons that said the prisoner population was due to peak at 3,445 (this was for 2021-22), yet in April in a Budget and Finance Committee hearing—so we are talking a few weeks later—that figure was upgraded to 3,568. In the space of a few weeks there was a significant uptick. What changed earlier this year to cause, at that stage, an increase to the projected prisoner population?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: Just so that I understand your question, you are saying that some time around March or April this year the projection changed, in one instance, for 2021-22 with an increase in the order of—

Mr KNOLL: About 120.

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: I was going to say about 100. Why did that happen?

Mr KNOLL: Was a calculation undertaken at that point? Was there a change in circumstances that caused a calculation change?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: The timing of projections is around that time of the year. Projections are rarely remodelled, as you would reasonably expect them to be; they are projections, and I cannot reiterate enough that it is an extraordinarily difficult exercise to try to predict how many people are going to be going to gaol in four years' time. Nevertheless, that exercise is typically taken around that time of the year that you are referring to and that would have informed the change you refer to.

Mr KNOLL: In the profile of increase it seems that this 2017-18 year looks as if it is going to be an anomaly. You are forecasting a reduction, and after that it looks like it returns to trend. Can I ask: what number of prisoners are we assuming are going to be diverted from custody into a home detention scenario for the 2017-18 financial year? How many people are we diverting from prison to a home detention situation?

The other point I would add, minister, is that, over the time—and I think you have admitted this on a number of occasions—the recidivism rate has actually not decreased but has been increasing; it has been sitting at a higher level. So, the other question I have is: are you expecting a drop in the recidivism rate to contribute to this year's drop in prisoner population?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: Let me start with that last point first. Yes, I have been on the record as saying that I believe a reoffending rate of 46 per cent is too high. Just to be clear, there are two measures when it comes to reoffending, as measured by the Productivity Commission through the RoGS data: there is a return to prison and there is a return to Corrections, the higher figure being a return to Corrections. In South Australia, that figure is approximately 46 per cent, and yes, I have been on the record as saying that I believe that number is too high, although it is important to provide a bit of context around that.

The national average for reoffending is in excess of 50 per cent, so South Australia does perform substantially better than the national average. That said, as a general rule, I still believe a 46 per cent figure of reoffending is too high, hence the government's commitment to a strategy of reducing that by 10 per cent by 2020.

In respect of your home detention question, we do not have a projection at hand for the number of people we see going into home detention by the end of the financial year. However, to give you some context, I have the numbers as at 30 June: there are 100 offenders on court-ordered home detention and on electronic monitoring—these are all people who are subject to electronic monitoring, I am advised—126 offenders on released ordered home detention; 420 offenders on intensive bail supervision, ordered by the court; one offender on a licence, ordered by the court; 27 offenders on parole, ordered by the Parole Board; 22 offenders on treatment intervention, ordered by the court; and four offenders on extended supervision orders, ordered by the court.

I am advised that DCS leases 1,270 electronic monitoring units and subleases 25 of these to the Department of Communities and Social Inclusion to monitor juvenile offenders.

Membership:

Mr Caica substituted for Hon. A. Piccolo.

Mr KNOLL: What rate of recidivism has been used to calculate the 2017-18 financial year daily average prisoner population?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: The answer to your question—and it is a good one—is that the reoffending rate that is assumed for the purpose of the projections is based on what past practice has been. Figures are looked at historically in terms of what has reasonably been achieved around reoffending, and that informs the projections.

Mr KNOLL: So, it is around 46 per cent.

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: I am advised that it would not necessarily be an accurate description to pick a specific number and say, 'It is 46 per cent,' but I am advised that historical experience is what informs it over a substantial period of time, and a more recent experience has been 46 per cent, or thereabouts.

Mr KNOLL: So, it is not a change in recidivism rate: essentially, the best information that you can give is that more people are being diverted to home detention. Would that be a factor? I am just trying to get to the bottom of why we are seeing a blip when we have had an increase in prison population, and a steady increase, for quite a while. What are the major factors that caused this to turn around?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: As I alluded to earlier, I am advised that there are a number of variables that come together; there is no one specific measure or policy that results in that reduction. However, if I was to recap on some of the highlights: as I mentioned earlier, there was that substantial investment in criminogenic programs (and a very high number of approximately $9.9 million) and that has a twofold effect, but for the purposes of this exercise it has the effect of ensuring that people have undertaken the programs that would best put them in a position to be eligible for parole where they otherwise might not be had they not undertaken the respective criminogenic program, so that is a significant variable.

The other thing that is worth mentioning is the introduction of the Bail Accommodation Support Program, which I alluded to in my opening statement. Just so the committee understands how that works, there was evidence to suggest that there were a number of people going onto remand, not necessarily because of the nature of their offending but rather because they had nowhere they could be bailed to in respect of a residential address where they could be located.

The Bail Accommodation Support Program provides temporary accommodation arrangements so that someone can receive bail who would otherwise have been put onto remand. That has already, I am advised—despite its only recent implementation a few months ago—seen a marginal reduction in the remand rate and that in turn informs what the prison projection is for this year, so there are a number of things that come together to inform that prison projection number.

Mr KNOLL: In terms of the criminogenic rehabilitation programs, are we talking about the domestic violence, Making Changes, the Sexual Behaviour Clinic and that sort of stuff?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: Yes.

Mr KNOLL: In terms of criminogenic rehabilitation, those programs have been in place now for a number of years. Apart from the quantum, what changed about the programs that have caused them to be a factor?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: The first point is that naturally the quantum is probably one of the most significant variables, because with additional investment there is more quantum, more people going through the programs, more people getting parole who would otherwise be ineligible. But that takes a lot of effort, and there are other elements to this as well.

Departmental programs are central to integrated offender management and currently delivered across a range of locations, both in prisons but also in community corrections, and the program hours delivered counting rule includes only total program hours once a program is completed. Specialist staff deliver intensive group-based programs in prisons across the state. Each program commencement has a number of participants, and the number of offenders in each program varies, depending on the type of program, with up to 15 participants in some support groups. There are a number of elements that come together to be able to deliver that, but if you are asking this question specifically in the context of the projection, the quantum is a significant one.

I have here—helpfully given to me by the CE—a number of program hours being delivered. So, in the 2015-16 financial year, the actual number of hours delivered was 5,418. That went up to the estimated result in 2016-17 of 7,151, so that is a big increase and has a real impact when it comes to the number of people getting access to the necessary criminogenic program.

The Hon. S.W. KEY: Minister, I am referring to Budget Paper 5, Budget Measures Statement, page 23. We have talked about some of the programs, and the member for Schubert, I think, has led us in this direction, but I am interested in the New Foundations program?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: I want to thank the member for Ashford for her question, because it is a really good one and speaks to exactly how the government is going to go about achieving our reoffending target that I talked about. Having a target is an important step forward when it comes to the strategy, but a target in and of itself does not just get realised, you have to make sure you are doing everything you can to realise that target, and the New Foundations program fits squarely in that category.

I mentioned earlier that a strategic policy panel was tasked with identifying best practice around the world and identifying strategies that would reduce the rates of reoffending, and they then released that panel report, with a number of recommendations and strategies associated with it. One of the key pillars of the government's response to the panel's report is the New Foundations program.

The New Foundations program will assist in the delivery of the 10 by 20 target by supporting offenders to desist from crime through the provision of appropriate accommodation and individualised supports and services. The government's commitment to reducing the rate of reoffending is demonstrated by the $18.9 million investment in this program. Research shows that having access to stable and appropriate housing plays an essential role in the likelihood of someone reoffending or not, as we know that unstable housing and homelessness and crime are closely linked.

Stable housing also supports the effective delivery of rehabilitation and reintegration programs after offenders are released from prison. The New Foundations program seeks to address this need by linking offenders to appropriate housing if they are at high risk of entering into homelessness or inadequate housing when leaving prison.

The program will also include individualised reintegration, rehabilitation and tenancy management support to ensure participants successfully return to living in the community. New Foundations is based on an international model called Housing First, and is a recovery-oriented approach. The Housing First model seeks to establish permanent and stable housing arrangements for people who are at risk of homelessness, and in implementing this program the state government will be following best practice as Housing First programs are being implemented in Canada, the US and the UK.

New Foundations will be led by the department in partnership with the non-government sector, which will be responsible for providing appropriate accommodation, tenancy support, and rehabilitation and reintegration support services to participants. The program will involve:

Accommodation—where participants will have immediate access to stable accommodation. The type of housing required will be tailored to the needs, strengths and preferences of the participant.

Tenancy support—many offenders do not have the skills to live independently. They require support to build their capability and understanding of tenant responsibilities, which includes paying rent on time, being a good neighbour and property maintenance.

Rehabilitation and reintegration support services—there will be individual supports and services available to participants to address underlying causes of their reoffending behaviour. A range of services will be provided, including employment preparation, mental health treatment and family reunification supports.

The New Foundations program participants will be able to access housing and associated supports for up to 12 months following their release from prison. During these 12 months, participants will be responsible for building independent living skills with the intention that they will be capable of independently maintaining their living arrangements in the long term.

In combination, these supports will enable participants to return to the community in a stable and healthy way and as participating members of the community. I must stress, however, that this program is not about displacing other priority groups from community and social housing. Through a competitive procurement process, a tender will be released and will be supported by an innovate co-design process.

The contract with the successful organisation or organisations will include payment by results measures that will ensure that taxpayer money is used to achieve the best outcomes possible for the community. New Foundations will deliver a wide range of benefits to the community, and these include: first, reduced reoffending through addressing the length between homelessness and crime; reduced homelessness, as participants will be able to access secure and stable housing and will be provided with the support they need to sustain permanent housing; increased availability and diversity of accommodation options in the community that will support offenders but not displace other high-needs individuals; and, reduced demand for prison beds and the associated cost savings. It will provide value for money for the state by supporting the provision of housing and individualised support for eligible offenders in a way that achieves value for money.

Finally, New Foundations will enhance community safety by increasing the connection that offenders have with community through appropriate stable and sustainable housing to enhance rehabilitation and reintegration. The $18.9 million investment in the New Foundations program is included in the 10 by 20 action plan response that I released in July to reduce the rate of reoffending by 10 per cent by the year 2020.

The Hon. S.W. KEY: Just building on that response, minister, I compliment you and everyone in Corrections for that action plan, which I think is an excellent way forward and makes clear what is the plan. I also put on record my appreciation of your support for Seeds of Affinity and the great work they do. You have talked about accommodation and support: everyone needs shelter, so that is pretty important. I refer to Budget Paper 5, Budget Measures Statement, page 24. Can you talk about the Work Ready, Release Ready program? Along with shelter, people also need employment.

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: Again, a very good question because you are absolutely right. We know from world's best practice when it comes to reducing reoffending, there are a number of key elements that need to be realised. One, as you mentioned, is housing, but the second is work or the prospect of being able to get a job. Along with basic support mechanisms in the community, the combination of those things is what can realise a reduction in reoffending.

The Work Ready, Release Ready program is speaking to that second element, which is about work. It implements a number of recommendations made by the 10 by 20 panel and forms part of the government's approximately $40 million investment and rehabilitation measures aimed at reducing reoffending. The government has committed $9.2 million to Work Ready, Release Ready. This initiative places a renewed focus on offender rehabilitation through increased access to education and support opportunities for prisoners and through supporting offenders to secure employment upon release, with the assistance of a specialist job network provider.

Many offenders who enter the prison system lack work skills and education, and over the past 15 years there has been a steady unemployment rate at the time of incarceration of 55 to 65 per cent. Research tells us that rehabilitating offenders and equipping them with the tools and impetus to make positive changes in their own lives, and motivating them to make positive contributions to society, will help to ensure offenders successfully reintegrate into the community and will lessen the likelihood of them reoffending.

Ensuring appropriate rehabilitation opportunities for prisoners and promoting their successful reintegration into the community upon release is obviously a government priority. The value in such initiatives has already been recognised by the government in its support of educational programs and employment initiatives currently available to offenders. Currently, the department has its own registered training organisation, VTEC-SA, which offers accredited training packages and courses to prisoners. An established partnership with TAFE SA also provides vocational training to prisoners. Prison Industries provides prisoners with a structured day where work-life balance is mirrored to reflect community expectations.

I commend the department for the success of these initiatives and programs to date and their continual commitment in striving to achieve positive rehabilitation outcomes. I am pleased to tell you that Work Ready, Release Ready will enhance the education and employment initiatives currently offered to prisoners. The program will give offenders optimal opportunity to take ownership of their actions and address the reasons for their past offending behaviour. Upon entering the prison system, offenders will be evaluated on their individual education and employment needs. Areas of focus will be identified, allowing for a consistent approach to rehabilitation activities throughout the whole of an individual's sentence.

Education and job readiness vocational training opportunities will be expanded to help prisoners overcome barriers to employment upon release from prison. Prisoners will have the opportunity to access tailored education programs that meet the needs of both the individual prisoner and the needs of the job market. There will be an emphasis on upskilling prisoners in the use of technology to prepare them for transition into modern workplaces.

Partnerships with local businesses and specialist job network providers will be established to increase opportunities for offenders to obtain employment upon their return to the community. Having a specialist job network provider is fundamental. They will be engaged to work with prisoners to connect them with employers and assist them in gaining employment when returning to the community. Partnerships with the local business sector will also be established to raise awareness of prisoners' skills, further helping to break down barriers to employment for prisoners upon release.

The program includes appropriate performance indicators to achieve direct employment outcomes based on a fee-for-service and payments by results mechanism. Work Ready, Release Ready addresses the link between the lack of income security and crime and is geared towards reducing reoffending and obviously reaching the target, and building a safer community and healthier neighbourhoods in the state.

Mr KNOLL: We were advised in the select committee that the peak prisoner day—the day when we had the most number of prisoners—was 3,093. I think it was in early February, around the 1^st or 3^rd. Has there been any further update on that? Have we had a higher peak than on that day?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: I am advised no.

Mr KNOLL: Budget Paper 4, Volume 1, page 152, regarding the Custodial Services program. How many female prisoners do we have at the moment? I am happy for you to advise of the latest date you have.

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: I am advised that as at 28 July this year—which is today, so as of this morning—there are 158 women in AWP.

Mr KNOLL: Do you have there what the peak female prisoner population has been?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: Sorry, just for the sake of the record, I said that there were 158 women in AWP. I should also mention that there are some women housed at Port Augusta and also at the Pre-release Centre—a far smaller number, I should mention, but a number. Sorry, your question was the peak—

Mr KNOLL: Female prisoner population.

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: On the date that you talked about, when the prisoner peak occurred, 3 February, I am advised that there were 173 women in Adelaide Women's Prison.

Mr KNOLL: On the same page, same budget line, can I ask who the inspector of prisons is, or if it is more than one person, how many there are and who they are?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: The visiting inspectors program has a number of people within it. I am advised that there are approximately 20 people who are visiting inspectors within our prison program. There is a lead visiting inspector. He is a gentleman by the name of Mr James Hugo.

Mr KNOLL: How many inspections would be done on a yearly basis?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: To get you a precise number, I am going to have to take that on notice.

Mr KNOLL: And if you have a breakdown by prison of how many inspections are done, that would be pretty good. Moving on, I understand that last year was the first year that, to save having to say that the budget blows out every year because you do not put in a separate budget for surge beds, can I ask what the budget for surge beds is in 2017-18? I understand that this is done on a yearly basis.

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: I am advised that the answer to that question is zero.

Mr KNOLL: So, you are saying that you are not going to use any surge beds this year?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: I am advised that in the 2017-18 year, the predicted daily average, as we said earlier, was 2,989, but the projected approved number of beds as at 30 June 2018 is 3,291. Just to provide a bit of extra information for the member, that is a consequence of the Port Augusta Prison being expected to come online in coming months, and then, of course, the Mount Gambier Prison being due to come online this financial year as well.

Mr KNOLL: Do you have more precise dates on Port Augusta and Mount Gambier opening?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: I am able to say that it is our expectation that the Port Augusta Prison will be online certainly in the next four months.

Mr KNOLL: When you say in the next four months, do you mean by November?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: Yes.

Mr KNOLL: Can I ask when the Mount Gambier Prison is scheduled to be open?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: My advice is that we plan to have it open by the end of the financial year, notwithstanding the fact, and I am happy to place on the record, that building prisons is an incredibly complex exercise. People understand that there may be delays in that process, but we are working to have it complete by the end of the financial year.

Mr KNOLL: I am just looking for the specific date. I understand that from either—

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: I just want to be honest about this. We are working to have it completed by the end of the financial year. I am loath to provide a specific date because, naturally, these things are moving feasts. You understand that it is quite complex. I do not want to mislead anyone by identifying a specific date.

Mr KNOLL: Especially if you find more bones.

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: That is exactly right. The exercise at Port Augusta, a substantial expansion of the 128 beds, has produced complexities that people cannot reasonably predict, including finding bones at the prison, which at one point we were concerned were human remains. These things delay these exercises. I am reluctant to put a specific date on the Mount Gambier prison, because we do not want to mislead the community down there, which has, by and large, worked with the sector to build the prison. There are a lot of people working on site. I just do not want to unreasonably mislead people by providing a specific date.

Mr KNOLL: In evidence that Mr Brown provided to the select committee, Port Augusta was due to be completed in March. At that time, it was suggested that it would be completed in what was the September quarter, so the third quarter of the year. Now you are saying that there is basically another three-month delay to the opening of the prison.

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: No, I am not saying that. What I am saying is that I am being very deliberate about making sure that I do not put a specific date on when Port Augusta will open so as to mislead anyone. We are working to have it online as soon as possible. There is hope that that will occur by the end of September, but again, in light of the challenges that we have experienced at Port Augusta that are beyond anyone's control, whether it be the department or indeed the builders, I am just being very conscious that I am not inadvertently misleading or misinforming people's expectations around when it is to be open. But we are working to have it concluded by the end of September.

Mr KNOLL: Hang on, you just said November and now you are saying September.

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: I told you, when I told you, that we would have it open by the end of November, but that does not mean that we are not working to have it open sooner than that, and we would hope to have it open at the end of September.

Mr KNOLL: Either way, that is a delay from what we have been told previously when it was suggested that it would be open in August.

The CHAIR: This is just commentary, Mr Knoll. The minister has explained himself pretty adequately, I think.

Mr KNOLL: That is fine, I am happy to move on. Can I ask—

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: Herein lies the point—

Mr KNOLL: Yes, because you do not want to give a deadline in case it gets blown out further. That is essentially what you are saying.

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: You want to be cute about various time lines—

Mr KNOLL: I just want there to be some sort of definitive—

The CHAIR: Order! Member for Schubert, first of all, when we speak over each other, Hansard cannot transcribe what we are saying so it does not matter what we say. Second of all, the minister should be heard in silence. Do you have another question?

Mr KNOLL: I do. Same budget line: minister, can you detail payments made to non-government organisations from the Corrections department budget in 2016-17? Do you have a list there of organisations and how much money they have been provided?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: If you want a list that breaks down each NGO, who got how much, I would have to take that on notice. I am happy to do that.

Mr KNOLL: When will the New Foundations program actually be up and running? I understand we have to develop the thing, but when is the predicted go date?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: This financial year.

Mr KNOLL: Would that be the same for the Work Ready program?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: For both New Foundations and Work Ready, Release Ready, we are aiming to have them up and running this financial year.

Mr KNOLL: I am looking at the 10 by 20 report. There is a bit of a time line, and I must admit that it is a bit murky, but it does suggest that it will not be until—

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: Not as murky as the opposition's policy in respect of the respective area, but nevertheless.

Mr KNOLL: Time will come. Essentially, you will be designing the New Foundations program in this financial year, but what I am looking at says that it will be 2019 before it will be delivered?

The CHAIR: What is that document you are reading from, member for Schubert?

Mr KNOLL: 10 by 20.

The CHAIR: That is the 10 by 20 document, is it? No, I believe you.

Mr KNOLL: I have read it cover to cover.

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: Just to reiterate, the government's objective for both the Work Ready, Release Ready and the New Foundations programs is to have both contracts executed this financial year and then implementation to occur beyond that.

Mr KNOLL: Are you looking at 1 July 2018 as a start date?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: You will understand, I am sure, that the money was in this year's budget, and we are now about to commence a procurement process. We are engaging with the non-government sector for a range of reasons. We believe they are going to be key partners in delivering these programs and now we are undertaking a procurement process. In terms of a specific date when this program will start and so forth and in terms of impacts, it would be a little presumptuous for me to articulate an exact date in light of the fact that the procurement process is still to finalise.

The Hon. S.W. KEY: I refer to Budget Paper 4, Volume 1, page 149. Minister, can you tell us about the community grants program?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: I thank the honourable member for her question, and it does follow on, I think, from one question asked by the member for Schubert. The department is committed to strengthening its strategic partnerships with community organisations through the provision of community grants. The department's community grants program aligns with the state government's strategic directions of safe communities and healthy neighbourhoods and particularly the 10 by 20 strategy to reduce reoffending. The grants program was introduced by the department in 2013 to provide additional innovative, imaginative and creative services and programs to prisoners and offenders.

The grants aim to enhance protective factors of offenders in relation to their recidivism. Protective factors include matters such as employment, health, housing, relationships, finance and budgeting, as well as a range of other key life skills. The Department for Correctional Services recognises that connection to community and meaningful activity are important to reducing reoffending and improving community safety. Whilst traditional service providers continue to work with prisoners and offenders, DCS also actively seeks a more diverse range of service providers to approach addressing protective factors innovatively, with less reliance on a small number of community organisations.

Grant funding is available through DCS annually, with two types of grants offered for the provision of programs and services. The programs and services can be delivered in prisons, community correctional centres or in the community. The first type of community grants are for up to $10,000. These may be short term and may be specifically designed to address location or regional needs. The second type of community grants are for up to $40,000. These may have longer delivery time frames or require significant investments by the funded organisation.

The grants are one-off funding for the programs and services specified and are not intended as a recurring funding source. Both grant types require demonstration of meeting defined outcomes. Grant applications are evaluated and reviewed by an evaluation panel and recommendations are made to the CE for final approval. The awarded grants are detailed publicly on the department's website and in 2016-17, the department awarded 11 grants of varying amounts ranging from $9,990 to $40,000. Examples include:

Neami National, which was awarded $40,000 to deliver the Optimal Health Program to offenders in the community under supervision and at risk of recidivism due to mental illness or social, psychological, emotional or other health factors;

Seeds of Affinity was awarded $20,000 to deliver the Hadau: Planting Seeds for the Future program to female prisoners at the Adelaide Women's Prison and the Adelaide Pre-release Centre; and

the University of South Australia was awarded $9,900 to deliver the Mobilong Prison Radio Project, where 16 prisoners undertook a series of workshops to produce an induction CD for prisoners who are new to Mobilong Prison.

In the Mobilong Prison Radio Project prisoners were taught planning and interview skills and audio recording and editing techniques to produce radio features. They used the skills they learnt to interview other prisoners, staff who work in different areas of the prison and health staff to inform the induction CD. The CD will be played in the induction unit at Mobilong Prison via the television system to assist with the smooth transition of new arrivals to the prison. Not only did this project create an excellent mechanism for inducting new prisoners, it also taught the prisoners involved in the project important group planning skills as well as interview skills and audio and editing techniques.

The government and the department are committed to innovative initiatives that reduce reoffending and strengthen community safety. Further community grants will be awarded this financial year to enhance protective factors of offenders and help reduce recidivism.

The CHAIR: Thank you, minister. I would like to thank you and your departmental advisers. The time has expired, so I declare the examination of proposed payments complete.

Sitting suspended from 12:16 to 13:18.