Correctional Services

Ms LUETHEN (King) (14:33): 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 has improved the correctional services sector since the last election?

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA (Hartley—Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services) (14:33): I thank the member for King for the question and I acknowledge her very keen interest in this area. We have an outstanding correctional services system. I am proud to say last week we had one of these shaping corrections forums led by Mr David Brown. It allowed me to go and visit some of our staff and thank them for the great work they are doing in this space. We know that we are nation leading when it comes to our correctional services system. We know that we have, for example, the lowest recidivism rate in the entire nation. Last week was a fitting way to acknowledge their good work in this sector by visiting the Adelaide Women's Prison.

I visited the Adelaide Women's Prison along with the member for Elder and the member for Florey, the local member. I went there to open what was around a $50 million expansion upgrade at the Adelaide Women's Prison. We know that in doing this upgrade it was a long time coming, and facilities have certainly improved there since we have invested, as I said, tens of millions of dollars. For example, there are new fit-for-purpose accommodation units, which have provided 80 new beds with independent living facilities that emulate life outside a prison.

At one point in time, under those opposite people were actually allowed to smoke in these facilities, and we know that some of these cells were some of the worst in the country. Since coming to government, we have invested tens of millions of dollars, and I am proud to say that they are much more fit for purpose, fit for use, and they have much better improved living conditions. I think we have a duty that where we can we have to invest in our prisons and make sure we do everything we can to try to turn people's lives around and try to rehabilitate them so that when they leave prison they come out of prison as better people with better skills as well.

The recently opened upgrade also includes a new programs and education building. We know that the path to rehabilitation for many is via education, and if we can invest in the education of our prisoners we can give them the skills they need. Unfortunately, some of these people have never done a day's work. Some of these people haven't had the opportunities you and I have had. Some of these people have come from very hard upbringings, and if we can get them back on a good path, if we can give them the dignity of acquiring some skills so that they can get out and work and they can have routine and meaning and lead purposeful lives, it's going to go a long way.

There are also new health facilities that we are investing in, especially when it comes to the health and wellbeing of women in custody, and it is very important that we support that. There are many impressive aspects of this expansion. I specifically want to highlight a partnership between DCS and TAFE. What that actually saw across the board is that a number of women in custody were provided with the opportunity to gain qualifications while working on sites.

I am pleased to inform the house that, with the support of Mossop, a number of women engaged in what is our U-Turn Program. They have been employed after release. How good is that? They have acquired skills, they have left prison, they have served their term, they are actually being employed and they are not returning to prison. That is what we want at the end of the day: we want them not to return to prison. We want them to have the dignity of work. We want them to improve their lives, which will of course relieve the burden on our system.

The Better Prisons Program has resulted in hundreds of construction jobs. More than $150 million has been invested into the Yatala Labour Prison, which continues to be expanded, with 270 new beds underway and also supporting infrastructure being delivered. But of course it's not only the bricks and mortar: we are also investing in the safety and security of our prison system. We have funded nearly $15 million for a new information sharing platform, iSAFE, and also close to $25 million of upgraded electronic digital security systems.

We are supporting our correctional system. We are achieving better outcomes, better facilities, better investment and a stronger and more secure state in the process as well.