Prison Infrastructure

Mr TRELOAR (Flinders) (14:59): My question is to the Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services. Can the minister update the house on how the Marshall Liberal government is creating jobs through construction at the Northfield prison site?

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA (Hartley—Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services) (15:00): I thank the member for Flinders for his question. I am very excited to provide the house with an update on the very important Better Prisons Program and in particular the construction that is currently underway at the Yatala Labour Prison.

Recently, I took the time to visit that site with the Minister for Infrastructure, and I thank him for his involvement in this area. I don't need to remind those on this side of the house that, as a government, we are making the most significant investment in prison infrastructure in over a generation. We know that stage 2 of the Better Prisons Yatala expansion project is underway. A new 270-bed secure accommodation facility, a new commercial kitchen and also a new visitor admissions centre are beginning to take shape thanks to the hard work of many men and women already on site.

Not only is the government building what matters but we are also creating jobs in the process. On this particular site, some 400 jobs will be created during the construction phase. We are investing over $140 million in this particular project. Our prison facilities by those opposite were left in some areas outdated, ageing and in some cases not fit for purpose. Those on the other side were certainly not as focused on rehabilitation or reducing reoffending as we are. Some were only interested in racking, packing and stacking offenders. We have obviously moved on since then. We are focused on building what matters, investing in what matters and also creating jobs for the state.

The Minister for Transport and Infrastructure joined me just a short time ago to see firsthand the significant work that is underway at the Yatala site. Stage 1 of the construction project was completed late last year, with the Northern Metropolitan Business Centre and Learning Academy named after Mr James Hugo. Many in this house would remember Mr James Hugo and the huge legacy he left in this portfolio area. Also, the Staff Wellbeing Centre is named after a former long-time Yatala staff member, Mr Dennis Watkins.

These early works will complement the additional expansion, allowing for dedicated business support for the Adelaide Women's Prison, the Yatala Labour Prison and also the Adelaide Pre-Release Centre. In addition to the construction that is already underway at Northfield, our government has several other key investments across our Correctional Services sector.

We have invested $15 million in a new digital records management system for the Department for Correctional Services. The iSAFE project will enable the department to improve its end-to-end case management process and also in turn enhance community safety. It will improve the quality of intelligence management, resulting in more effective protective security, and not only enable greater rehabilitation but also reduce recidivism rates, which is very important, through not only effective case management but also information sharing with other justice agencies.

We have also invested a further $12 million to transition the electronic security systems from analogue to digital across the Northfield prison site. South Australia, of course, has the lowest recidivism rate in the nation, at 42.3 cent, which is something all our Correctional Services personnel should be very proud of. There is always more work to do be done, and we will continue to deliver improvements to our Correctional Services system to bring that rate down even further.