CAVAN TRAINING CENTRE

Mrs REDMOND (Heysen—Leader of the Opposition) (14:26): Thank you, Madam Speaker. My question is, again, to the Premier. Would the public have been better protected from dangerous criminals if Labor had not delayed the building of a new secure youth justice centre at Cavan by nine years? After coming to office in 2002, the government deferred the Liberal project to build the youth justice centre, which had been announced and budgeted since the year 2000.

The Hon. J.M. Rankine: No budget!

Mrs REDMOND: It was budgeted. Labor then re-announced this project as part of the $600 million new prisons PPP but then cancelled that again in 2009—at a cost of $10 million—before committing to it for a third time.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Minister for State Development) (14:27): I thank the member for her question. Can I just correct an answer that I gave earlier. Apparently there were 35 people in Cavan last night, which is still under the capacity of 36, but, apparently, the advice I received was wrong.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: I think the question—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Madam Speaker, the question is internally inconsistent. You only need to consider the fact that the project is actually replacing Magill. That is the proposition. Cavan itself is a relatively young facility; it is nevertheless going to be replaced through the bringing together of the old Cavan and the old Magill sites to create a new site at Cavan.

So the Liberal proposition was to get rid of Magill. These detainees were at Cavan, so it would not have had an effect—

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Bragg! You are warned for the second time.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: The Liberal proposition would not have had an effect on Cavan. So there is a—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Well, there is a lack of logic in the question. I just point that out. It does not follow that your proposals, which, incidentally—

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Unley!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: The proposals of those opposite, which were incidentally unfunded—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Well, I was looking after that portfolio. I couldn't find the money you had allocated to it.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Well, I did. In fact, I did. It was commenced when I was minister. It was deferred and now it has been put back on track, and that is a good thing. So we now have a much bolder proposal, which is a new facility which will be built at Cavan. It simply does not follow that the so-called 'Liberal plans'—to the extent that they existed—would have had any effect on this at all. We are now in the position of building this facility. The decision that was taken to defer those earlier arrangements was taken for reasons—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! There is too much noise.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —of maintaining the budget—

Ms Chapman: Yes, to keep building a film hub.

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —in good shape, and that was the reason for deferring it. We have now returned to those proposals, as is appropriate.