Adelaide Women's Prison, Firearms Delivery

The Hon. J.S. LEE (14:59): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Correctional Services a question about prisons.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.S. LEE: Last week, it was reported that a box of eight shotguns was delivered by mistake into the loading area of Adelaide Women's Prison after entering through security in the back of a courier's truck. The shotguns were only discovered when the boxes were being unloaded by correctional services personnel in an area reported to be frequented by prisoners. The department announced an internal investigation would take place focusing on why and how the guns were delivered to the wrong address. The Public Service Association have confirmed they will begin an investigation and ensure breaches like this will not happen again. My questions to the minister are:

1. Can the minister inform the chamber when he first sought a briefing after the incident?

2. Can the minister explain whether the transportation of the guns met the requirements of the recently passed firearms regulations?

3. How long will the internal review take?

4. Will the minister table the internal review report to parliament when it is finalised as it is a concern of public safety?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS (Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (15:01): I thank the honourable member for her question. Last week, I was on annual leave—I had a week off. You can only imagine my shock and disappointment when the phone rang and I was informed of the events that had transpired at the Adelaide Women's Prison, because it is clearly unsatisfactory that a load of shotguns was delivered to the AWP where, of course, the shotguns were not initially destined.

Despite being on leave, I asked for a brief almost immediately and I am happy to share with the honourable member exactly when I received it, but, to the best of my recollection, I believe it was that day or certainly within a day or two of the incident occurring. There can be no denying that this is a security breach; however, there were enough protocols and safeguards in place so as to ensure that the breach was rapidly identified so as to mitigate any risk to anyone involved. There are safeguards such as, of course, when firearms should be transported, and I believe there are laws and regulations in place so as to prohibit ammunition being transported with them.

I also understand that there were security guards in and around the area while they were unpacking the delivery and that's when they were identified. Immediately upon those guards becoming aware that there were shotguns, the area was cleared and appropriate measures were put in place so as to mitigate any risk.

The delivery was a pallet containing eight long boxes, including structural magazines and goggles. Upon removal of the first box from the truck it became apparent that the box contained firearms. The box was then immediately placed back onto the pallet on the back of the truck and the area supervisor was called to attend, and a lockdown of the area was undertaken. The truck was secured and the driver was instructed to immediately exit the area into the vehicle sally port area.

The prison security manager attended and conducted a review of the delivery details. The details showed pallet dimensions and made no mention of the contents. The Department for Correctional Services operational security unit attended and it was identified that the delivery was intended for the OSU, which is the operational security unit, with the contents to be utilised by DCS for the emergency response group. Prison staff received the delivery in accordance with the prison operating procedures and the delivery was under the direct escort and supervision of custodial staff at all times.

The delivery was then directed to its permanent housing facility in accordance with legislation. No ammunition was included with the delivery and the safety and security of the prison was not compromised at any time. Notwithstanding the fact that, clearly, something had gone wrong here, it may well be the case that the outcome of the internal investigation will make it clear that there was no fault on behalf of the department but rather it may have rested with a third party courier or, indeed, the supplier of the firearms. That is what we expect to ascertain during the course of the investigation.

As the honourable member referred to, the department has commenced an internal investigation into the incident and that is being led by the Director of Ethics and Intelligence and Investigation within the Department for Correctional Services. The matter has also been referred to SAPOL to examine whether the courier or provider has breached the law with respect to the storage and management of firearms. SAPOL is conducting an increased security audit of the operational security unit to ensure that all equipment is safe, given the reporting of the location, and the equipment of the OSU and emergency response group.

The department has also conducted a stocktake of weapons which confirms that all arms are present and accounted for. DCS has issued a direction effective immediately that the emergency and response group equipment will not be delivered to any DCS site by a third party. Action has been taken to remove third parties from the situation. The chief executive of the department has sent formal correspondence to the couriers involved in this incident requesting that they make their employees available to the investigation. I understand that one of the couriers has already commenced its own investigation into the matter. The department has also instigated a statewide review of access control procedures in relation to all external deliveries to secure locations.

I think all that demonstrates the fact that there is an acknowledgement on behalf of the government that something has gone wrong here. Naturally, the government engages contractors from all over the place and it may be the case that one of them is at fault. Let's wait and see. The acknowledgement of the fact that something has gone wrong has put the government in a place to be able to ensure that we are taking the action that is required to establish who was at fault and what exactly went wrong here so that it can be remedied.

However, in the interim, I think the community can take confidence in the fact that all staff concerned who were engaged in this particular incident within the department acted appropriately, acted in accordance with procedures and protocols and that, in turn, identified the problem and people responded accordingly. In some respects, although something has gone wrong, it is an example of the appropriate and quick response that we want people in security oriented roles performing. I am satisfied also that the department, led by the chief executive, has undertaken the required actions to ensure that something like this does not occur again.