Prison Violence

The Hon. S.L. GAME (14:46): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before directing a question to the Attorney-General regarding alleged violence against female inmates in women's prison facilities in South Australia.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.L. GAME: Media outlets have reported on female inmates in Port Augusta and Adelaide Women's Prison who have allegedly been sexually and physically assaulted by a biological male offender. In 2019, a woman was forced to share a cell with a trans-identified male offender with a history of violence against women. Due to this history, the offender had previously occupied a single occupancy cell. The woman claims she was sexually assaulted while sharing the cell.

In recent days, another media report says three more female inmates now claim to be victims of the same man, two saying they were physically assaulted and a third one raped. According to the South Australian Department for Correctional Services website, the department is committed to meeting the needs of transgender and intersex prisoners and ensuring their safety is not compromised, and the department advises that transgender prisoners will have an individualised management plan developed to take into consideration their needs. My questions to the Attorney-General are:

1. In light of these latest media reports, does the government stand by the Premier's recent description of banning biological males from female-only prisons as a 'niche issue'?

2. Can the Attorney-General confirm that the government's policy, as stated on the department's website, is to allow biological men to be housed in female-only prisons?

3. What evidence can the government produce to show it is safe for biological males to be housed in female-only prisons?

4. Lastly, why is the government prioritising the individual needs and safety of biological male prisoners who identify as females over the individual needs and safety of female prisoners?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Deputy Premier, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector, Special Minister of State) (14:48): Many of those are Correctional Services issues, which is not one of my portfolio responsibilities. However, I will say in response to the questions asked that anytime there are allegations of a criminal offence committed, whether within a prison or outside a prison, I think we would all expect that they would be properly investigated and at the conclusion of the investigation consideration be given to prosecution.