Yatala Labour Prison

The Hon. J.S. LEE (14:37): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Correctional Services regarding the influx of illicit drugs and contraband in South Australia's prisons.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.S. LEE: On 12 May 2025, the Adelaide Advertiser reported that there is an increasing influx of illicit drugs and contraband in South Australia's prisons. The report highlights ongoing challenges in controlling contraband and drug smuggling within correctional facilities, particularly at Yatala Labour Prison, which has higher numbers of contraband incidents compared to other prisons in South Australia. My questions to the minister are:

1. Given that Yatala Labour Prison has higher numbers of illicit drug incidents compared to the women's prison, what specific challenges does Yatala face and why is the government unable to address these challenges?

2. What additional strategies are being considered or implemented to further combat drug smuggling in correctional facilities?

3. How has the presence of illicit drugs impacted safety and rehabilitation efforts within South Australia's prisons and what measures are being taken to address these issues?

4. How will the government ensure transparency and accountability in reporting the outcomes of these antismuggling measures to the public?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (Minister for Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Minister for Autism, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:39): I thank the honourable member for her question and for raising this in the chamber. Safety in our correctional facilities is paramount. Any assaults against correctional officers are unacceptable and police will continue to take action against prisoners who harm frontline workers. Just because you are in prison doesn't mean you are not going to get in trouble for doing something wrong.

Violence in our prisons will not be tolerated and we are stepping up efforts to stamp out offending, including contraband, which can pose a security risk. The Malinauskas Labor government has invested heavily in our prisons to help keep our community and correctional workforce safe. Over $220 million was invested in the last state budget to increase prison capacity. I believe, since being in government, we have either opened or invested in over 600 beds in our prison system.

More searches are being carried out and contraband seized, I believe, than ever before. I am advised that more than 103 searches were conducted in 2023-24, a 14 per cent increase on the previous year, and a 35 per cent increase from when the Liberal government were in, resulting in nearly 1,600 contraband discoveries, more than double the number of prohibited items seized during 2021-22. The Yatala Labour Prison saw an increase in contraband found, coinciding with nearly 20,000 searches, which is more than the 2021 and 2022 periods combined.

I am advised that since the recent assaults, there have been routine searches at Yatala with numerous prohibited items detected and seized. For operational reasons, I won't go into further detail but in regard to finding more contraband it is because we have increased our searches significantly.