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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-11-10 Daily Xml
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PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE: YOUTH TRAINING CENTRE

Mr PICCOLO (Light) (11:53): I move:

That the 383rd report of the committee, on the new youth training centre, be noted.

I would like to note the minister's response yesterday to a question in the chamber regarding this matter, where she advised the house that Hansen Yuncken had won the contract and will start work on this important project before the end of the year.

A 60-bed secure youth training centre is to be constructed at Goldsborough Road, Cavan, to replace the existing Magill Youth Training Centre, at an estimated cost of $67.2 million. A further $4 million will be immediately spent on both the Magill centre (to sustain it until its closure) and the existing 36-bed Cavan Training Centre to upgrade it to address compliance with standards and future operational requirements. The Cavan Training Centre will remain in operation, providing a total of 96 beds between the two facilities.

The design and construction of the new centre will meet state, national and international juvenile justice, building legislation, conventions, codes and standards. It will comprise accommodation units that will safely and securely house girls, young women, boys and young men, ranging in age from 10 years upwards. The different accommodation units for the centre will include:

four boys' 12-bed remand/detention units (the units to be designed to allow for the separation of the population);

one girls' 12 bed remand/detention unit (again, the unit is to be designed to allow for the separation of the population); and

a constant presence by departmental staff at all times when children and young people are in the units.

All cells are designed for single occupancy.

Funding for the new centre will be through the sales of the current Magill, Glen Stuart Road, site, approximately 15 hectares of vacant land at Strathmont, Oakden, and $5 million from contingency funds set aside in the state budget for existing correctional facilities. The committee is told that, although the centre is smaller than the originally proposed 90-bed facility, the new project is of sufficient size to meet demand into the future when combined with existing facilities to be upgraded. There remains space within the footprint of the proposed site for further expansion of the centre should the need arise.

Construction of the facility is due to commence shortly with the announcement of the contractor, with, at this stage, an anticipated completion date of December 2011. Based on the evidence presented to it and pursuant to section 12C of the Parliamentary Committees Act 1991, the Public Works Committee reports to parliament that it recommends the proposed public work.

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg) (11:56): It is with pleasure that I speak to this motion. It is, of course, a project which is under the supervision of the Minister for Families and Communities, and she needs all the help she can get, so I am very happy to speak on this matter. I welcome the announcement yesterday by the minister of Hansen Yuncken's appointment. It is a pity that this development is not for 90 beds, but it is a development nonetheless.

What I bring to the attention of the house, and therefore the committee, is that the report identifies some of the history of this project. The honourable Joyce Steele was the person who advocated for eight years to get the McNally Training Centre (which is now to be bulldozed) built in 1967 and a new facility for our children and young people. The Cavan Secure Care Centre was completed and opened in 1993. This information has come from the department to the committee. The report goes on to say, and this is directly from the department's submission:

In 1993 the Department of Families and Communities purchased land at Goldsborough Road, Cavan, to replace the Magill Youth Training centre.

What has come to my attention, through access to a cabinet submission entitled 'Replacement site for Magill Training Centre' dated 21 December 1998, by the then minister (Hon. Dean Brown), is that this document actually confirms the discussion and the proposal to purchase the land, namely 7.3 hectares located between Montacute and Goldsborough roads and Sharp Court, identified on the map for the purposes of undertaking this part of the development. This is not to be confused with the current development at Cavan, which is on Jonal Drive, and that has been referred to by the chairman of the committee.

So it seems from the documents that, in fact, the property which is to be the site for this second part of the Cavan development to accommodate older youths in our detention facility was acquired under the Olsen government in 1998, or thereabouts, and not back in 1993. I will just place on the record that when I became apprised of this information there were attempts made by my office to advise the committee secretary of this, but that was declined, so I was forced to bring this information to the house. That is disappointing, because I would have liked—

Mr Piccolo interjecting:

Ms CHAPMAN: I have written to you plenty of times and I will again, but on this issue I was trying to be helpful because, of course, we know that the Minister for Families and Communities is in charge of this project and, goodness me, given the way she runs the rest of the department, we need to make sure that it is done properly. I would like that to be noted and I will continue to try to be helpful to the Public Works Committee. I will have a bit to say about the Burnside school report, which is coming up, and the dodgy figures on school enrolments that have been given by the department in relation to that issue.

Nevertheless, I ask that this issue be noted and that, as much as possible, we get the information and the records accurate about these important developments because they do provide the basis for future comment.

Debate adjourned.

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