Prisoner Support and Treatment

The Hon. K.L. VINCENT (14:34): Supplementary question: is there any truth in the claim in the ABC article on Tuesday, which said that the Ombudsman found that staff from the Department for Correctional Services refused to take up an offer from nurses to use soft restraints? If that claim is true, why is the minister investigating future technologies when it seems that, if that is true, we already have them?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS (Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (14:35): I thank the Hon. Ms Vincent for her question and her ongoing interest in this subject. I will have to seek information again from the department, and I am more than happy to make sure it is brought back to her with regard to the specific allegation—I think it is fair to describe her remarks as an allegation.