Correctional Services Awards

The Hon. T.T. NGO (15:06): My question is to the Minister for Correctional Services. Can the minister tell us about how staff in the Department for Correctional Services have been recognised for going above and beyond in their line of duty?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS (Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (15:06): I thank the honourable member for his important question. Only last week, I had the outstanding privilege to be able to attend the Department for Correctional Services annual awards ceremony, which was held at the town hall. The ceremony provided a unique opportunity to take a moment to celebrate the individual and team successes within the Corrections department and community partnerships that were forged throughout 2015.

The day was principally to reward staff and partners who contribute and excel in providing the opportunities that can help break the cycle of crime and reduce reoffending. The recipients of the awards have gone above and beyond their duties. These are ladies and gentlemen serving our community who saw it necessary or appropriate to go above and beyond what people would otherwise reasonably expect of them.

Too often in the corrections portfolio do we and the media focus on the negatives and the challenges facing our system, but beneath these there are genuine, real stories of people making real differences to people's lives, that are often lost in the cut and thrust of public policy debate. I would like to outline a couple of award winners, but I would also encourage everyone in the council to visit the DCS website and read the synopsis of each award recipient, both individual and team, and acknowledge the various ways our staff are striving to make our community safer and a better place.

There are two award winners I would like to specifically mention; one of those is a lady by the name of Linda Neighbour. Linda displayed outstanding initiative by linking in with the Disability Employment Register, under the guidance of Disability Work South Australia, to recruit suitable staff for administrative roles within DCS. Linda's work has created a flow-on effect that will see other areas of the agency following suit. I think this is a true display of initiative and excellence to look outside of the square.

I also want to acknowledge the work of Owen Brady. Owen is an Aboriginal liaison officer at the Port Augusta Prison. He also works as the prison's cultural development coordinator. He is often called to assist prisoners who are released late and is a contact for community agencies on weekends and after hours. Last year, Owen was on a lunch break in the community and noticed a person on nearby train tracks behaving in a distressed manner. Owen stopped to assist the person, whom he had identified as an ex-prisoner and a Community Corrections offender. He picked up the person and in his own vehicle took them to hospital for assessment. Owen also kept their property safe while that particular individual or ex-prisoner was in hospital.

Later, it emerged that the person Owen saw on the train tracks was actually indeed attempting suicide. Not only did Owen save this person's life but he also had saved a great many people from the grief that comes when someone takes their own life. I can't think of anything more selfless or worthy of commendation than the act that Owen undertook.

Unfortunately, last week Owen wasn't able to be present at the awards ceremony, but I did take the opportunity to give him a call personally and thank him for his incredibly thoughtful act, and I certainly look forward to meeting him in person and other staff at the Port Augusta Prison when I visit there in the next couple of weeks. The Team Excellence Awards celebrated the same levels of professionalism and best practice examples of working together to get the job done in the challenging environment that Corrections poses. It was an honour to recognise the efforts of the team at the Mount Gambier Prison that played a crucial role in the prison's expansion that was commissioned in September last year.

I was also privileged to recognise the exceptional work undertaken by the Cadell Fire Brigade, staffed by DCS officers, prisoners and civilians, in helping to fight the Pinery bushfires I spoke about a couple of weeks ago. Other Team Excellence Awards went to the Home Detention Committee, the Trainee Correctional Officer recruitment team, the E-Division team at Yatala Labour Prison, the community work unit, the DCS intranet team, and the Multi-Agency Protection Service.

As I have stressed in my short time as corrections minister, corrections cannot go it alone and it is important that we link in with others who operate in this space, including agencies, stakeholders and individuals who strive for the same outcomes. Of particular interest to me were the Community Partnership Awards, awards that recognise the links between corrections and other government agencies, as well as the private and not-for-profit sectors, who all want to make a difference in the area of corrections.

To the Cancer Council of South Australia, the Murray Mallee Community Health Service, Cleland Wildlife Park, the Victim Support Service, and the Mount Gambier fire services, I simply say thank you. Thank you for your ongoing partnerships, the contribution you and your organisations make and the critical role you play in the criminal justice system.

I was also privileged to present the Women's Excellence Award, meritorious service awards, Australia Day Achievement Medallion and long service awards. I want to acknowledge two individuals who have made what can only be described as an outstanding contribution to public service in the area of corrections.

Raelene Sweeney joined corrections in January 1966 as a temporary clerk and shorthand typist at the Adelaide Gaol, where she moved to the position of warrants clerk and stayed in that role until the gaol closed in 1987-88. From there she took up the same role at the Adelaide Remand Centre, where she has worked ever since. Raelene was awarded for being in the service of the public for 50 years.

The second person I want to thank is Mr James Hugo, who will be receiving his 50-year medal next year. This year, James received an Australia Day Medallion in recognition of his long and dedicated service to corrections—service that has continued since his retirement as a corrections officer in 1995 to this very day, when he still serves as a coordinator of visiting inspectors. Between them, these two individuals have dedicated almost a century of service to corrections and to the public sector. The value of their knowledge, experience and contribution cannot be quantified.