Mount Gambier Prison

Mr ODENWALDER (Elizabeth) (15:34): My question is to the Minister for Correctional Services. What steps has the minister taken in response to violent criminal Daniel Nelson running clothing business FTL Inc, which incites antisocial behaviour, from his Mount Gambier prison cell?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Lee is warned. The member for Playford is warned.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD (Gibson—Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (15:34): Let's talk about jumping the gun here. This is quite phenomenal. I know when they were in government—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my left! The minister will be heard in silence or members will be departing the chamber. The minister has the call.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: I know when they were in government they governed by press release—

The SPEAKER: Please do not provoke the opposition, minister.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —and now they are doing it in opposition as well. Press release is the way they go; that's the way they operate. It was unfortunate for the shadow minister for corrections to be caught out on radio this week after making these big allegations that there was an online business operating out of prison. He went on the ABC radio, on ABC north-west, and Sarah Tomlinson actually questioned him and said:

We invited Minister for Correctional Services, Corey Wingard, to join us. He was surprised to learn of the allegations—

that you have made and that he was concerned that if the shadow minister had conclusive information that he hadn't raised it with SAPOL or the Department for Correctional Services. And she said, 'Is that the normal process?' And do you know what the shadow minister said? He said, 'Well, no. I don't have conclusive evidence.' He said, 'That's the job for other people.'

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Kaurna is on one warning.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: So he had no conclusive evidence. How dumb is he? Oh, but he was out in the media. He was straight to the TV stations—no conclusive evidence, but straight to the TV stations. It's unbelievable. How dumb is that? No conclusive evidence, but straight to the media. He doesn't go to police. He doesn't go to Corrections: straight to the media.

So how would the 'other people', which would be police or Corrections, be supposed to investigate if he doesn't tell anyone?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: If he doesn't tell anyone, how are they going to investigate?

Members interjecting:

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: The interview went on.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Kaurna is on two warnings.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: The interview went on, and the shadow minister was asked by the journalist again, 'Are there other concerns you have about the prison system in South Australia at the moment?' And do you know what he said? 'No.' Just this specific concern, raised by—wait for it—'a perusal of Facebook, really'. That's where he gets his allegations from: a perusal of Facebook. Oh, that's nice. That's really nice.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: Do you have any other concerns you want to put a media statement out on? You're not going take them up with SAPOL or Corrections? I don't think so.

The SPEAKER: There is a point of order. The minister will be seated for one moment, please. Before I hear the point of order, I call to order, and I warn for a first time, the Premier and the Leader of the Opposition. The member for West Torrens.

Mr KOUTSANTONIS: Sir, relevance: the question was what action the minister has taken, not about reading out a transcript.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: I take the question to the Treasurer—

The SPEAKER: I haven't deliberated. Minister, please return to the substance of the question.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: I will. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. We know there is no conclusive evidence and the allegations come from a perusal of Facebook.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: Big allegations made by the shadow minister!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Hammond is warned.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: If I can, Mr Speaker, I will update from the Department for Corrections that:

…despite a thorough investigation taking place, that included listening in on phone conversations, the prisoner being separated and a thorough cell search taking place, there is no evidence whatsoever that any business activity has occurred inside the Mount Gambier prison. Had any such unauthorised—

Mr KOUTSANTONIS: Point of order, sir: the minister is quoting from a Correctional Services document. Could he please table it?

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Point of order: this happens every time. The shadow minister is well aware that notes and memos prepared for ministers to provide information for the house are not required to be tabled.

The SPEAKER: Minister is that a publicly available document? If so, I ask you to table it.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: No, sir, they are notes that I have been handed—

The SPEAKER: It is not.

Mr KOUTSANTONIS: Point of order, sir: the minister said he was quoting a document. He said he was quoting Correctional Services.

The SPEAKER: The member will be seated. I believe that the minister is quoting from advice that he has. Now, if that advice is not in the public domain, then he may not be under any obligation to table that, but if it is a document that is in the public domain I will respectfully ask him to table it.

Mr KOUTSANTONIS: Point of order, sir: if he is quoting from a document that is government advice, he must table it to the house.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Education will be seated. Can the minister please confirm what he is quoting from?

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: I am quoting from ministerial advice that was given to me from the department.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: Can I also add, Mr Speaker, that it's amazing—

The SPEAKER: Order! One moment. That does not need to be tabled. Minister, please continue.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: Thank you, I will. It is amazing how when you shave your beard, your glass jaw can be exposed. It's phenomenal. A prisoner in a correctional institution is not entitled to perform either remunerated or unremunerated work of any kind, whether for the benefit—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —of the prisoner or any other person—

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —unless the prisoner has the permission of the chief executive to do so. Prison management was also speaking with the prisoner around the appropriateness of the business in relation to his rehabilitation prospects. What I will say is that these are very serious allegations, that an online business is being run inside a prison. If you have serious allegations like that, take them to SAPOL, take them to Corrections, take them down to the appropriate authority; not a press release.

If you are making serious allegations like that and when you are asked you say, 'I have no conclusive evidence,' it's embarrassing. When you do get your evidence and you say, 'I get it from a perusal of Facebook,' it is incredibly embarrassing. Heaven help us if the shadow minister starts following Donald Trump on Twitter.

The SPEAKER: The member for Elizabeth.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Minister for Industry is warned. The member for Elizabeth.