Adelaide Remand Centre

Mr MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Leader of the Opposition) (14:26): My question is to the Minister for Correctional Services.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The leader will resume his seat. I am doing my best to listen to the leader, who is endeavouring to ask a question, and I am having trouble hearing the leader as a result of interjections presently from those members on my left. The leader has the call.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Thank you, Mr Speaker. My question is to the Minister for Correctional Services. Given the minister has had the time to peruse quotes of former ministers for correctional services, has he taken the time to ask how many staff were working yesterday at the Adelaide Remand Centre?

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA (Hartley—Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services) (14:27): Thank you very much for the question. There are a lot of claims that are being put out there at the moment in relation to this matter. Some of them, to be quite honest, are false and misleading.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Elizabeth is warned. The minister has the call.

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA: As I was saying, sir, one of my predecessors actually said:

I would encourage all members within the chamber, particularly those from the opposition who may be seeking to politicise this issue, to allow themselves to be informed by the facts as they come to light.

Do you know who said that? The Leader of the Opposition.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Point of order, sir.

The SPEAKER: The member for West Torrens on a point of order. The minister will resume his seat.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Standing order 98: the minister is debating the question. The question was very specific: how many people were working at the Adelaide Remand Centre yesterday?

The SPEAKER: I uphold the point of order. The question was very specific. The minister has the call.

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA: I refer to my previous answer, in that—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Badcoe is called to order.

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA: We know that critical incidents on rare occasions do happen. As I pointed out, there is an array of investigations underway. We are taking this matter very seriously. We are not seeking to politicise it; we are taking it very seriously. As you know, there is an investigation happening by DCS. Serco are also conducting an investigation and, of course, it is an operational police matter as well.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Point of order, sir: again standing order 98. You upheld the point of order and the minister is now going on to debate the question, talking about investigations. The opposition's question was: how many people were working at the Adelaide Remand Centre yesterday?

The SPEAKER: I uphold the point of order. The minister in referring to the investigation is, for the time being, in my view, germane to the question insofar as the investigation might well include matters directly responsive to the question. The minister has the call. I give the minister the opportunity to answer the question.

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA: What I will say is that I certainly do not want to provide any commentary that is going to potentially put prison guards in danger. As I said, I did look at what former correctional services ministers have said.

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, the leader!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The leader is called to order. The member for Playford is on two warnings.

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA: In the context, there have been escapes on rare occasions and they have occurred sometimes when the operation of the prison is a public provider and, other times, a private provider. There is another minister, and what he said in regard to the context, releasing a report into previous escapes—

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Point of order: again standing order 98. We asked a question about numbers of people rostered on at the Adelaide Remand Centre yesterday, not about previous statements by other ministers.

The SPEAKER: And once again I uphold the point of order. I will move along. Is there a member seeking the call? The leader.