Youth Boot Camp

Mr GARDNER (Morialta) (15:02): My question is to the Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion with responsibility for youth justice. When will the government's youth boot camps, as promised in the election, to divert young offenders from custody commence their operations?

The Hon. J.R. RAU (Enfield—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Justice Reform, Minister for Planning, Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Child Protection Reform) (15:02): We are working on that.

Mr Marshall: How is it going?

The Hon. J.R. RAU: It's progressing, because we need to get certain tender arrangements organised. The last time I saw some paper come across my desk in relation to this I think was probably in the last month or so. We want to make sure that, first of all, we have the right provider and, secondly, I consider it very important that these programs have an evaluation element built into them. Because one of the big risks I have discovered in very well-meaning programs initiated by governments of all persuasions everywhere is that somebody has a good idea and those ideas are initiated and, at the end of a period of time, it is impossible to evaluate what actual value has come out of that project.

As far as I am concerned anyway, and I think as far as my ministerial colleagues are concerned, if this is going to deliver value, we want to be able to come back to the parliament and to the public and say, 'Here is value here and here is why there is value here because we have had somebody measuring this thing.' That is the bit that I am actually concentrating on now. When I am satisfied that there is an appropriate evaluation process embedded in the whole proposal and that we have a suitable partner, it will be going ahead. I think it does have some promise, and I think—

The SPEAKER: A quick answer is a good answer, Attorney.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: I am happy to help the parliament as much as—

The SPEAKER: Would you?

The Hon. J.R. RAU: By sitting down? Very well.

The SPEAKER: Thank you. Supplementary?