Prisoner Numbers

The Hon. S.G. WADE (14:33): I have a supplementary question. I ask the minister: in relation to the 270 new beds that are coming into the prison system in the coming year, can he tell us whether that will meet the projected demand in the coming year, in other words, whether there will be a net decrease in overcrowding as a result?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS (Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (14:33): My advice is that the government's strategy for the new beds that are set to come online both this year and also over the forward estimates will keep the forecasted prison population below the number of beds coming into the system.