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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-11-09 Daily Xml
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YOUTH TRAINING CENTRE

Mrs GERAGHTY (Torrens) (14:33): Thank you, Madam Speaker, on both counts. My question is to the Minister for Families and Communities. Can the minister advise the house on progress of the new youth training centre project?

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE (Wright—Minister for Families and Communities, Minister for Housing, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Disability) (14:33): I thank the member for Torrens for her question. Today, I am pleased to inform the house that one of Australia's largest privately-owned construction companies has been awarded the contract to build our new $67.2 million 60-bed youth training centre at Cavan.

Hansen Yuncken has won the contract and will start work before the end of the year. The new centre will replace the old Magill Youth Training Centre and will be in addition to the current facility at Cavan on Jonal Drive. It will accommodate 60 young people, with capacity to increase if necessary. Most importantly, the facility will allow us to care and support these young people to turn their lives around.

In the main, we are talking about teenagers, mostly boys and a number of girls, all of whom have one thing in common: they have made bad decisions and found themselves in serious trouble. One of the reasons many young people make wrong choices and end up in detention is that they do not have a sense of hope. If you ask them, many say they do not have any reason to believe that they can do better. Education can change this.

The new centre will have a strong focus on learning and training, with a range of educational and vocational facilities. The teachers working there will be specially trained, and they will have the resources they need to break through the barriers, connect with the young people and show them what they can achieve if they put their minds to it.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: The facility will also have an open-style campus, more recreational space and an on-site health centre. As well as being secure, the centre will also give staff more options and increased flexibility—

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: Just give yourself a tiny rest for once. Just give yourself—

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I warn the member for Norwood!

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: Do you always have to be so rude?

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: Well, you need it.

The Hon. I.F. Evans: Why don't you answer your letters?

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Davenport!

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: You need a lesson in manners. As well as being secure, the centre will also give—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: Let's see you get three strikes and an eviction today.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: Come on, give it a try!

The SPEAKER: Minister!

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: Come on, give it a try!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Point of order, member for Torrens.

Mrs GERAGHTY: I have asked a question, and I have a genuine interest in this matter.

Members interjecting:

Mrs GERAGHTY: I do, and I'm happy to talk to you about it later, so don't laugh. I would like to hear the answer, please.

The Hon. I.F. Evans: We all would.

The SPEAKER: We all would, but we can't hear with the noise coming from there.

The Hon. I.F. Evans interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Davenport, I warn you! Two-thirds of you are now on warnings. Listen to the minister in silence please. The Minister for Families and Communities.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: Thank you, Madam Speaker. As well as being secure, the centre will also give staff more options—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Show some respect for the minister, also.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! You are like a bunch of silly schoolchildren. Behave yourselves! Minister.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: Thank you, Madam Speaker. As well as being secure, the centre will also give staff more options and increased flexibility to manage and help these young people according to their individual circumstances. Every young person who finds themselves in detention will have the chance to learn, to find something that they are good at or can work towards, the chance to get an education, to get the skills they need to get a job and get their lives on track.

We do not want them to return, and we do not want them going on to adult correctional facilities either. We want them to have a productive future. The new centre will help them understand they can do better. Hansen Yuncken has an excellent reputation in South Australia and across the nation, with recent local projects including the Queen Elizabeth Hospital project, the Adelaide Entertainment Centre upgrade and the SA Water fit-out project.

We all understand this is more than just a building. It is about building an environment where the young people living there have the support they need to start anew. I look forward to again advising the house on the progress of this very important project.

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