Prison Tenders

Mr ODENWALDER (Little Para) (14:51): My question is to the Minister for Correctional Services. Can the minister advise of the outcomes of recent tenders undertaken by the Department for Correctional Services?

The Hon. A. PICCOLO (Light—Minister for Disabilities, Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (14:51): I thank the honourable member for his question. It is well known that our prison population continues to grow, and I would like to thank all our staff and correctional officers for their professionalism in managing our prisons here in South Australia.

I am pleased to update the house about two tenders awarded last week which will see a further 56 beds commissioned by mid-December 2014. A new $2 million 24-bed accommodation unit will be built at the Mount Gambier Prison, in addition to the current expansion of 84 beds at that facility, and due for completion by late June 2015. A further $5 million 32-bed accommodation unit will be built at Port Lincoln Prison.

The new accommodation at both locations will house low to medium security prisoners and will consist of purpose-built modular-style accommodation units similar to those used on mine sites. Construction of these will be completed in a matter of weeks and will help ease the current pressures experienced in our prison system. We will, of course, continue to scope out other medium and longer term strategies to help address the capacity issues in our prisons.

At Mount Gambier, three of the units will comprise four double rooms (including amenities) and a fourth unit which will feature a communal kitchen and recreation area and also a programs area. The Port Lincoln expansion follows the same design principles and includes two extra wings. The tenders were awarded to EMAC Systembuilt Group, a proud South Australian company, with secondary contracts awarded to two other South Australian companies: Mossop Group, for the Mount Gambier Prison expansion, and McMahon Constructions at Port Lincoln, for the installation of amenities such as power and water to the sites.

Expansions like these formulate part of the state government's short-term planning of our prison system. It will also be an immediate boost to the local economies through the construction phase through the use of local contractors and also lead to additional ongoing employment opportunities through the need for additional correctional services staff.

Let me be very clear. These expansions are part of a strategy to ensure that South Australia's prison system continues to meet the growth in prisoner numbers now and in the future, and more options will be explored to meet our required capacity needs. The growth in prisoner numbers is not unique to South Australia and is something that all Australian jurisdictions are experiencing.

The SPEAKER: Supplementary, member for Morialta.