YATALA LABOUR PRISON

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS (14:57): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the minister representing the Minister for Correctional Services questions about changes to staff arrangements at Yatala Labour Prison.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS: My office recently received information that, from 1 July, a new system of staff consolidation will begin at Yatala. The new system will amalgamate existing staffing units to create a larger staff which will rotate between the different divisions. An example given by a corrections officer at Yatala is that officers from admin, the control room and G-Division—which is the division reserved for the most dangerous criminals in this state—will be merged into one rotating staff. Officers from all three areas will be expected to perform the duties formerly assigned to specialised units and appropriately trained and experienced officers.

Many of the officers from the existing units have up to 20 years' experience in their given area. I believe that placing inexperienced and undertrained offices in areas such as G-Division is dangerous for all at the prison and the general public. Even though this may be seen as a cost-saving measure by those in the department, there will actually be an added cost in training those officers in the other areas in which they have no expertise. As the officers will be on rotation, it may be several weeks or months before the officers are active in one of these areas. In somewhere like the control room, upgrades to technology may render their original training redundant, meaning further training and more money will be required.

According to the prison officer, it will cost $100,000 per year to continually retrain the staff at Yatala, rather than just the cost of initial training and upkeep, not to mention the cost in experience and expertise which will jeopardise the safe running of the prison. It seems with this latest proposal, in the context of the recent and severe problems to come out of the Department for Correctional Services, the minister has lost control of his department. My questions to the minister:

1. Why does the minister think it is necessary for such measures?

2. Is it due to budgetary constraints?

3. Does the minister recognise that this change will, in fact, unnecessarily cost the state more money?

4. How will this new arrangement better ensure the safety of prison staff, prisoners and the South Australian public?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Public Sector Management, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister for Gambling) (15:00): I thank the honourable member for his questions. I will refer those to the minister in another place and bring back a response.