CORRECTIONAL SERVICES OFFICERS

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (14:41): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Correctional Services a question about the safety of Correctional Services officers.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: The most recent Productivity Commission report on government services shows that both prisoner on prisoner and prisoner on staff assaults doubled between 2006-07 and 2007-08. The opposition has been informed that the Department for Correctional Services does not have sufficient resources to equip all new Correctional Services officers following graduation. As a result, Correctional Services officers are being deployed in prisons without handcuffs, radios or even personal duress alarms, thus undermining prison security and placing prison officers at risk. This comes at a time when the security environment has been affected by the minister's 'rack, pack and stack' policy. My questions to the minister are:

1. How many Correctional Services officers are working with the appropriate equipment?

2. Given the government's claims that it gives the highest priority to officer safety and that it is effectively planning for prisoner growth, how did the government fail to provide sufficient equipment to all staff?

3. When will the minister accept that the Rann government's failure to manage prisons is placing Correctional Services staff at risk, and when will she provide all staff with the equipment they need?

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO (Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Road Safety, Minister for Gambling, Minister Assisting the Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (14:42): What a lazy opposition! Does the shadow minister not have questions in her own area to ask? It is extraordinary. What a lazy opposition! The member cannot think of a question within her own area. How extraordinary. I have no idea where the claims of the honourable member come from, although I do have my suspicions. The safety of our Correctional Services officers is always of paramount concern to us. If there is any truth (and I stress 'any truth') in the claims that the honourable member has made, I will ensure that they are investigated.

As I said yesterday, this government has embarked on a very aggressive recruitment campaign to ensure that our prison institutions are well staffed. We will continue to do so, because it is incredibly important for the safe and secure running of our institutions. Of course, we will always do that in a humane way. I think that members opposite simply cannot accept the responsibility shown by this government not only in building new prisons but also in committing funds to ensure that there is sufficient bed capacity in our prison institutions in this state. They simply cannot get over it. They cannot move on.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!