CORRECTIONAL SERVICES

Dr CLOSE (Port Adelaide) (14:44): My question is to the Minister for Correctional Services. Can the minister inform the house how the Department for Correctional Services is contributing to community safety in our state?

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE (Wright—Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (14:45): I thank the member for Port Adelaide for her question. This Labor government is committed to protecting South Australians with 'Safe communities, healthy neighbourhoods' as one of our seven key priorities, and the work of the Department for Correctional Services is an important part of our overall strategy. The passing of amendments to the Correctional Services Act in June paved the way for a number of changes to increase security within our prisons and make our communities safer. These changes—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: These changes are some of the biggest reforms our corrections system has seen in 30 years. Despite the best efforts of some of those opposite, most of these changes were brought into force in August this year and the remainder came into effect on Friday 9 November. No longer will offenders—

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Bragg, you have asked your question.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: No longer will offenders recently released from prison be allowed to visit serving prisoners. No longer will child sex offenders be allowed visitors under the age of 18 years. No longer will a paroled sex offender be allowed to withhold their offending history from a prospective employer, and the Parole Board now has specific legislative power to subject a parolee to electronic monitoring. Groundbreaking legislative reform is being backed up by practices within our prisons.

This year over 57,000 searches were undertaken in our prisons, and this is an additional 12,000 searches when compared with the year before. This substantial increase complements the new laws which have extended the ability of corrections officers to search visitors and vehicles in prison car parks and have increased penalties for those found to be introducing contraband to our prisons. This government has also made a significant financial investment in the prison system. This year, construction began on the $23 million expansion of the Mount Gambier Prison which will add 108 beds to the facility and take the total number of beds in our system to 2,350 by mid next year.

Only a few weeks ago, I opened the new Banksia Unit at Port Augusta Prison, the biggest corrections infrastructure project in a quarter of a century. This month I had the pleasure of addressing the department's 32 newest correctional officers. This takes the total number of graduates in the last 12 months to 108, and I want to congratulate our newest corrections officers and wish them the best in their new careers.

The work of the Department for Correctional Services is evidence that this government is delivering on its priorities through sound policy, and we must be doing something right: four years in a row, South Australia has recorded the lowest return-to-prison rate in the country and victim-reported crime has reduced by nearly 40 per cent over the last 10 years. This is in contrast to the members opposite who have failed to articulate any policies which will continue to help keep our communities safer.

Mr GARDNER: Point of order, Madam Speaker. She was doing so well up until that point and then she had to debate. She couldn't hold herself back.

The SPEAKER: Thank you. What is your point of order? There is no point of order. Minister, have you finished your answer? Supplementary, member for Bragg.