Adelaide Remand Centre

Mr ODENWALDER (Elizabeth) (15:13): My question is to the Minister for Correctional Services. Will the minister take full personal responsibility for the escape of the inmate from the privatised Adelaide Remand Centre and for his actions while he is on the run?

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA (Hartley—Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services) (15:13): I thank the member for Elizabeth for the question. I'm not going to be political and take cheap, petty political points and use it as an ability to do the same. If you look through the long line of failed Labor ministers in this regard—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for West Torrens!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Members on my right, order! The minister will resume his seat for a moment. The member for Playford and the member for West Torrens can leave for the remainder of question time under 137A.

The honourable members for West Torrens and Playford having withdrawn from the chamber:

The SPEAKER: The minister will be heard in silence. The minister has the call.

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA: This man has escaped from the Adelaide Remand Centre and I have made it very clear that that is completely and utterly unacceptable. I have also voiced that to Serco. As I have pointed out, the escape will be comprehensively investigated. I must have taken 20 or so, or even more questions, sir; you have been very generous today.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA: I have made it very clear that we need to know how this happened—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my left!

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA: —we need to know why this happened. We are going to do that work. We are going to find out and we are going to make sure that this doesn't happen again. We know that some prisoners in our system really don't like being there, and some of them will always try to escape. We are dealing with a very slippery and conniving individual.

I think you will find, sir, that he may have even tricked a guard into releasing him from shackles at a hospital in 2010, and do you know who the Minister for Correctional Services was in 2010? The member for West Torrens. But I am not here to talk about former ministers and who escaped under whose watch—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The leader will cease interjecting.

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA: —and I refer to my earlier statement.