Women's Reoffending

The Hon. M. EL DANNAWI (14:31): My question is to the Minister for Emergency Services and Correctional Services. Will the minister inform the council about the government's strategy to reduce women's reoffending?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (Minister for Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Minister for Autism, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:31): I thank the honourable member for this question. It was my great pleasure this week to launch the Department for Correctional Services' Women's Framework and Action Plan 2025-2030. I thank the many members who attended that event who are here, both in this chamber and the other place.

What has become very clear to me since being appointed to this role is that the complexity in the lives of many of the women entering the criminal justice system cannot be ignored. That is why this action plan is so important. We know that women entering the justice system are more likely to have experienced physical and sexual abuse, have higher rates of mental illness than the general population, and are at higher risk of self-harm. All too often, they have experienced intergenerational trauma.

The action plan builds on the knowledge we have developed over the last 10 years to develop targeted strategies which support women engaging with the justice system and result in better post-release outcomes, with women becoming active members of their families and communities. I am advised that this action plan was created following a comprehensive consultation process, inviting feedback from over 350 individuals, organisations and stakeholders, including women in the justice system, service providers and correctional staff in the community settings.

Consideration was also given to the relevant evidence and research available, as well as the results from the previous action plan, to ensure that this plan would provide a framework for ongoing improvements to the lives of women in the justice system and the lives of their families and communities. Activity in the plan is focused on women's safety and choices in relationships, stabilising mental health and addressing substance abuse and dependency, as well as to develop skills and vocational opportunities for women to deal with financial pressures.

Since the first strategy for women in the South Australian corrections system began in 2014, many policy and operational changes have been implemented within our corrections system, including the provision of alternatives to custody and expansion of home detention. These changes have been complemented by a comprehensive suite of rehabilitation programs and support services to help women reintegrate into the community, as well as cultural supports and women-centred supervision models.

At the launch of the new action plan, we were fortunate enough to hear from former offender Evonne Penrose, who generously shared her story. Evonne was in custody on and off between 2003 and 2020. Evonne spoke of how much things have changed since she first entered the system in 2003. There was, unfortunately, little focus on rehabilitation at that time but when Evonne returned to prison in 2014, she was determined never to go back.

Evonne was the first to admit that she was never a big fan of the thought of participating in the first Women's Action Plan way back in 2014, thinking it would make little difference, but by 2019 Evonne was in pre-release programs and had a job as a labourer with BMD. She is still employed by the same company and is now a safety adviser. She is involved in the Civil Contractors Federation's Women in Civil Committee, and through that Evonne is working to encourage women in home detention into civil construction short courses. I am advised that this is part of the Department for Correctional Service's Work Ready, Release Ready program, and that it is expected that 95 per cent of the women who complete that course will gain employment in the construction industry.

Now Evonne is a big fan of the action plan. Yvonne spoke with great pride of how she respected women and members of her workplace and has been a recipient of the Women in Civil Award and the Emerging Leaders Award. Evonne is committed to being a mentor to other women who have been in contact with the justice system and to encouraging women to work in the construction industry. I am so grateful that Evonne was able to share her story on that day.

I would like to thank everyone who has helped to make the framework and action plan a reality, from the members of the ministerial advisory group, including the member for Elder, Nadia Clancy, and to service providers to our dedicated frontline correctional staff and the women with lived experience of our corrections system. Thank you for giving your time and feedback to make this possible.