Prison Infrastructure

Dr HARVEY (Newland) (14:42): My question is to the Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services. Can the minister please update the house on how the Marshall Liberal government is creating jobs and building what matters by delivering key infrastructure upgrades across our prison system?

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA (Hartley—Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services) (14:42): I thank the member for Newland for the question, and I acknowledge his keen interest in the area. We know that we have an excellent correctional service system, and during the parliamentary recess I took the opportunity to go and visit some of the sites in our correctional system.

I went to Port Augusta Prison in the member for Stuart's electorate, I also visited Community Corrections centres in the member for Giles' electorate and also the member for Frome's electorate. It was very fitting to take that time and opportunity to thank the many workers we have in our system for the exceptional work they do in helping to protect South Australia.

As we know, our government has made the most significant investment in the South Australian prison system in literally decades, and our Better Prisons program has delivered expanded, modernised and also secure prison facilities. It has improved workforce flexibility—which is very important as well—and also benchmarked best practice operations right across our prison system.

In 2018-19, our government provided $35 million for the construction and the commissioning of 40 beds at the Adelaide Women's Prison and also a new reception and visitor centre as well as part of the substantial investment in our prisons through the Better Prisons program The new beds were delivered and commissioned on 27 March 2020, and we are getting on with delivering the new reception and visitor centre as well. Indeed, the 2021-22 state budget delivers an additional $8 million for the project as well. The new reception will assist the servicing of the expanded prison but also the new visitor centre that will accommodate additional family and professional visits as well.

In addition to the new funding at the Adelaide Women's Prison, the Marshall Liberal government is proud to be investing an additional $14 million for the massive upgrade of the Yatala Labour Prison which is delivering 270 new beds and secure walkways at Yatala Labour Prison. This funding is, of course, on top of the $93 million in last year's budget and comes after the commissioning and the opening of the business centre, learning academy and wellbeing centre that occurred in November 2020.

I am also pleased to inform the house that infrastructure upgrades across Yatala and the Adelaide Women's Prison have supported the creation of not 100, 200, 300 but over 400 jobs. We have also finalised the transition from analogue to digital security systems at the Adelaide Women's Prison, Yatala Labour Prison and also the Adelaide Pre-release Centre. Added to these security upgrades are a further $1.9 million in what will be targeted security upgrades at the Adelaide Remand Centre, and this investment comes off the back of the 160 safe cell upgrades that were completed in December 2019.

In addition to this key infrastructure investment, our government is also looking to the future, with $1½ million included in the budget to develop what will be a full business case for a new rehabilitation prison. We know that this is the future of our prison system. It is really important that we do absolutely everything we can to try to rehabilitate offenders so that they come back as better people with better skills and that they stop reoffending.

Our investments are critical to ensuring that South Australian prisons are not only secure but also provide offenders with the rehabilitative support that they need to re-enter the community where they can. Our Correctional Services staff work hard to deliver exceptional results, particularly in reducing the rate of reoffending. We know that we continue to have the lowest rate of recidivism in the entire nation. So our government continues to invest in this area. It's a budget that is creating jobs. It's building what matters and it's delivering better services.