Legislative Council Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2) 53 2 Parliament of South Australia Legislative Council published Question Time Prisoner Transfers Prisoner Transfers The Hon. S.G. WADE Legislative Council Prisoner Transfers The Hon. S.G. WADE (14:57): A supplementary: perhaps I could first of all respond to the minister's undertaking. The number of— The Hon. I.K. HUNTER Legislative Council The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Point of order: supplementary questions are to ask a question, not to enter into debate. The President Legislative Council The PRESIDENT: Just ask your question, Hon. Mr Wade. The Hon. S.G. WADE Legislative Council The Hon. S.G. WADE: On a point of clarification on the question he has taken on notice, I will make the point— The Hon. I.K. HUNTER Legislative Council The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Point of order: supplementary questions must come to the question. You cannot debate either a new question or the original question or answer; you must ask a question during a supplementary. The President Legislative Council The PRESIDENT: Ask the question. The Hon. S.G. WADE Legislative Council The Hon. S.G. WADE: The minister referred to bed management as being only one reason why prisoner transfer would occur, so I ask the minister: how much spare capacity does the prison system need to maintain to ensure that bed management does not result in transfers that would not otherwise be required? The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS Legislative Council Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS (Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (14:58): What I said in my previous answer was that bed space management might be one reason why there would be prisoner transfers but, to the best of my knowledge, it is not the predominant reason for prisoners being transferred from one facility to the other. As I stated, prisoners get transferred from different facilities on a day-to-day basis; it is par for the course. Often it is as a consequence of a prisoner's security rating changing, the nature of their status within their graduation within the prison system; if someone behaves well and demonstrates their capacity to be able to be transferred to a lower security prison. Perhaps it might be a particular need; they might have declared a desire to educate themselves in a particular skill set or it may be something to do with prison industries. There are a whole range of variables that can contribute to whether or how prisoners are transferred or when they are transferred or, indeed, where they are transferred. The honourable member asked if I had information available for him in terms of the numbers of prisoner transfers. I have made it clear that I am happy to undertake to seek that information and, if it is appropriate to do so, share it with the honourable member.