HANSARD
SITTING CALENDAR
SEARCH
LIVE BROADCAST
Hansard Dynamic Member Index
House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-07-01 Daily Xml
Contents
Pdf Xml

Motions

Women Offenders Support Services

Ms LUETHEN (King) (11:29): I move:

That this house—

(a) recognises the importance of partnerships with the non-government sector in supporting female offenders in the community;

(b) acknowledges the importance of connecting women to support services in the community; and

(c) recognises the important role volunteers and former offenders can play in reducing recidivism.

Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to talk about women prisoners and what this government is doing to help people to get back on their feet. I have chosen to move this motion today because it is important to identify opportunities to help vulnerable South Australians to make positive changes in their life. It is critical that we give these women a voice in this place to discuss what our strategy is, as a government, to support these women.

I will take time to acknowledge the important work that non-government organisations are doing to reduce reoffending and to support the children of prisoners, who are often forgotten about and left behind. This is not acceptable because all of our children are our future and these children deserve every chance of achieving their full potential. I thank the Minister for Police and Correctional Services for allowing me to learn about the government's strategy. I have learnt that the Marshall Liberal government is working hard to support strategies for women, which are connecting women who have been in prison to support services in the community.

Today, I will share some of this strategy and the activities the government has in place to deliver the Department for Correctional Services Women's Action Plan 2019 to 2024: Strong Foundations and Clear Pathways2. But, first of all, let's look at the profile of women who are likely to offend. In our SA community, 5.6 per cent of women identify as Aboriginal women, and today 1,007 daily average women are under Community Corrections supervision. Of these, 24 per cent identify as Aboriginal women, and today there are on average 198 daily average women in prison and 30 per cent of these identify as Aboriginal women. Shockingly, 70 per cent to 90 per cent have been physically, sexually or emotionally abused as children or adults, and 60 per cent report post-traumatic stress symptoms, anxiety and depression.

Women prisoners are 20 times more likely than the general population to have suicide, self-harming ideation, and 60 per cent to 65 per cent of these women prisoners have children. While many prisoners of both genders have abusive pasts in common, incarcerated women have a greater statistical likelihood of experiencing physical and sexual trauma. The resulting pain often helps drive them into the most frequent convictions for women.

I make the point that, without programs that specifically target women's abusive pasts, female prisoners risk getting trapped in an habitual revolving door of reoffending. The state government, via the Department for Correctional Services (DCS), strives to address the significant interplay between women's offending and their common experience of accumulated trauma, mental health issues, substance dependence, unhealthy relationships and poverty. Significant trauma histories and current domestic and family violence and abuse are central issues in many women's lives.

There is growing evidence that 70 per cent to 90 per cent of incarcerated women have been abused as children and adults. The interplay between this accumulated trauma and victimisation of the women's involvement in the criminal justice system is now well documented. A high proportion of women's offending has also been found to occur within the context of these intimate and family relationships. DCS data indicates that at the Adelaide Women's Prison 69 per cent of Aboriginal women and 52 per cent of non-Aboriginal women, as at March 2019, had an intervention order listed on their case file either as a victim or defendant. Intervention orders are one indicator of the abuse and violence in many women's lives.

Poor mental health and expressing high level trauma and recent suicide attempts and self-harm are also common presentations of women on admission to custody. Studies identify that women in prison are 20 times more likely than the general population to consider suicide and self-harm. A significant proportion of these women at risk of self-harm and with trauma histories may also meet the diagnostic criteria for borderline personality disorder. Additionally, post-traumatic stress disorder, a response to trauma, is much more common amongst women incarcerated than in the broader community.

Substance abuse and dependency is a further key issue for many women, and for many it is interconnected with their current and past abusive relationships. Women will often use drugs or alcohol as a coping mechanism and to self-medicate, and for many substance abuse and addiction has become the central feature of their life.

Substance abuse can also contribute to women's poor health and functioning, and being under the influence of drugs or alcohol or having to support and fund addiction can be key drivers in women's offending. Many women's contact with the criminal justice system is closely associated with substance use, and it is well established that a high proportion of women in prison are drug dependent and exhibit gender-specific patterns of use for both illicit and licit substances.

Economic pressures and limited vocational histories are a common experience of many women who enter the prison and community correctional settings. On intake to correctional facilities women report high levels of need in the areas of education and employment. For women, a limited employment history can mean they have less ability to establish financial autonomy in the community or that they struggle to develop a clear vision of future occupation.

Habits of addiction and family responsibilities, as well as constraints on employment options as result of a criminal record, are further factors that reduce women's employability on release, and these can hinder successful community reintegration. Creating vocational pathways is important to building stronger futures for women, enhancing stability in the community, access to housing and desistance from crime.

Relationships and community connection are key cornerstones of women's rehabilitation. Relationships are increasingly described as women's most prevalent and criminogenic need. Assisting women to navigate their parenting and family responsibilities is also essential. From the research we know that, for women, substance use, family violence, homelessness and poverty are important factors that lead to their instability while in the community. Aboriginal women are also at least 20 times more likely to be incarcerated on remand than non-Aboriginal women. So establishing pathways to community and ensuring community and cultural linkage and support are key priorities for DCS in its work with women in custody and in the community.

The department's 2019-24 action plan will continue to address the factors underlying women's correctional service interface and risk of offending. This brings focus onto women's safety and choices in relationships as well, stabilising mental health and enhancing resilience as well as developing skills and vocational opportunities. DCS's end aim is for women to have healthy lifestyles, supportive relationships and meaningful opportunities in their life, devoid of offending.

Partnerships between DCS and a diversity of government and non-government community, industry and third-sector alliances are critical to outcomes for women. The DCS experience partnering with a range of community-based agencies also highlights that effective community supervision models for women can operate outside of mainstream community correctional service approaches, and the Marshall Liberal government's targeted programs and individual supports that are responsive to women's needs are delivered in partnership with non-government and specialised women's organisations. They are specifically aimed at enhancing service linkage and community connection.

Continued focus will be brought to the DCS action plan in building relationships and partnerships with key community services for women as well as to strengthen and learn from the knowledge and positive role modelling that women with lived experience can offer. This includes a new partnership with the Red Cross to deliver in its international community-based health and first aid in action program at the Adelaide Women's Prison, as well as exploring opportunities for a similar peer support model in the community.

The new plan also includes specific actions to engage partners to assist in reducing Aboriginal women's over-representation in custody and the criminal justice system, as well as establishing pathways to community through cultural linkage and support. The value of people with lived experience sharing their knowledge, experience and learning with others facing a similar experience is well known. It can inspire and instil hope, as well as offer practical steps and strategies from someone who understands the difficulties of the challenges and the situation.

DCS draws upon the learnings of women who have exited custody and who have pursued further studies or transitioned into employment and are now drug-free to return as speakers and mentors to other women in prison and to instil in other women that they, too, can turn their lives around. We will look at who is incarcerated, the crimes that have been committed and what access inmates have to rehabilitation and reintegration programs, along with the direct effects this has on community safety.

From 2018, new arrangements include partnering with Women's Safety Services SA to deliver a domestic family violence program for women in custody; the development of a memorandum of understanding with Seeds of Affinity to formalise women's access to this service and to provide women with lived experience a formalised mechanism to offer mentoring and support to other women in custody; and a memorandum of understanding with the Red Cross, as previously discussed.

A living, smart, individual and group capacity-building program is also due to commence in the Adelaide Women's Prison in partnership with Fourth Sector Solutions and Dream Awake: Research Education and Design, and is a recent initiative with the Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement. ALRM will pilot an Aboriginal visitors' program at the Adelaide Women's Prison, which seeks to bring a more proactive and supported approach to new Aboriginal women admitted into custody and ensures that ALRM has regular scheduled times to meet with women on their legal, housing and family needs and, where possible, expedite release. These are targeted programs and individualised supports that are responsive to women's individual needs.

Today, I would also like to recognise a couple more non-government organisations that are doing excellent work supporting prisoners and their families. Firstly, Second Chances SA is a not-for-profit volunteer organisation committed to restoring hope in the lives of prisoners and their families and communities across South Australia. Their programs are custom designed to equip prisoners, their children and whole families to create better futures for themselves. Second Chances CEO, Helen Glanville, has helped me to understand the many ways that Second Chances strives to support prisoners and their families, and has described some of the challenges in providing support.

One key challenge is funding. Last year, I attended a wedding-themed fundraising event for Second Chances with the member for Adelaide, and this was a great and worthwhile event. Second Chances had received donations of wedding dresses and they sold these off at very low prices to the community to raise money for the Second Chances programs. These Second Chances programs have been developed over 20 years of experience and include Christmas Angels, which is a special program to remember children of prisoners at Christmas time.

Bringing Hope is an in-prison volunteering program, and each week 12 accredited Second Chances volunteers visit prisons right across South Australia, providing friendship and practical support, including banking and property storage. Birthdays are an important occasion in the life of these children. For those with a parent in prison, birthdays can be a time of sadness or fear that they have been forgotten.

PK Birthdays provides presents to children on behalf of their imprisoned parent, reminding them that they are valued and loved. Second Chances is running many programs, and I will be advocating for more support of their programs in the future. Helen also told me that not one government body actually keeps a record of who these children of prisoners are, and that is something we need to look at in the future as well.

Secondly today, in my last couple of minutes I would like to also recognise Seeds of Affinity. The Seeds of Affinity group empowers women both during prison and upon their release from prison and is run by a woman who is living in King, Linda Fisk, who has invited me to spend time with women who have come out of prison. They are doing excellent work. This will be a continued focus for me in the future.

Ms HILDYARD (Reynell) (11:45): I rise to speak to this motion and also to move an amendment to the motion to add two paragraphs:

(d) recognises the ongoing need for the state government to properly fund programs and organisations that work with women to increase their strength and self-worth as they transition from prison into the community; and

(e) recognises that women leaving the prison system need access to safe and secure accommodation as well as education and employment opportunities to reduce the risk of homelessness, abuse and health issues.

Firstly, I thank the member for King bringing this motion to this place. Sadly, women and girls caught up in our criminal justice system are amongst the most marginalised and at-risk groups of people in our community. Tragically, it is well documented that for many women who spend time in the criminal justice system the experience of domestic violence and abuse has strongly contributed to their pathway to offending.

Evidence suggests, as the member for King pointed out, that somewhere between 70 per cent and 90 per cent of women who are in prison have experienced physical, sexual or emotional abuse at some point in their lives. This is an absolutely shocking statistic that speaks to the work we and our community must relentlessly continue to do to prevent and end domestic violence and sexual and other abuse—violence and abuse that persists for women and children in every corner of our state.

With domestic violence as the leading cause of homelessness amongst women, many women find themselves in extraordinarily difficult circumstances, circumstances that can make it very difficult to break a cycle of offending on exiting prison. Dealing with homelessness and stigma following the experience of prison and violent relationships makes it very, very hard for women to build a new life without significant support and funding for programs that deeply support women as they take the next steps in their journey and as they strengthen relationships and recommence their pathways to learning and to work.

Additionally, the trauma, grief and depression often associated with experiences whilst in prison can also impact a woman's capacity to reconnect with her community once she has been released. That is why we need to properly fund programs that relentlessly focus on building the strength, self-esteem and confidence of women transitioning back into community life and into employment and education. Upon leaving prison, women often have little access to safe and secure accommodation and training and employment opportunities.

We must reduce the risk of homelessness, abuse and mental health problems once women leave prison and provide the support women and girls need to get their lives back on track. We must address the housing crisis in this state that offers few opportunities for the most marginalised groups of community members to access a safe place to call home. We must better fund mental health programs that can mean the difference between women in this situation feeling isolated and alone and seeing the possibilities ahead of them.

Government has significant responsibility directly in addressing all these issues and must step up and do more in terms of turning around its appalling lack of investment in domestic violence prevention; safe, affordable and accessible housing; and community and other mental health programs. It also has significant responsibility in terms of appropriately funding community or non-government organisations to undertake the work that supports and empowers women to traverse the many difficulties they can confront on exiting the prison system.

In South Australia, Seeds of Affinity is one such group that provides programs to support and empower women with complex needs to build a life outside of prison. Seeds of Affinity's work was initiated by women, and continues to be informed and driven by women, who have an experience of being in prison and of the difficulties faced on exit. As mentioned, Second Chances, ALRM and Women's Safety Services provide important support, as does Offenders Aid and Rehabilitation Services which provides extraordinary support for offenders on exit from prison offering accommodation and other services, including in my own community of Christie Downs.

All of these organisations and others are deeply focused on walking with people, empowering them to make different choices. They are focused on kindness, offering real and practical support, crime prevention, transition to employment and education, the dignity of all people, ensuring the voice of offenders is heard, reducing recidivism, and advocacy. They deeply believe in people taking responsibility for their actions whilst at the same time being deeply committed to the right of people to be heard, not to experience stigma, and to have real choices about the next steps in their life.

With a growing population of women in the corrections system and an increasing complexity of need in terms of the many issues that women contemplate on exit from prison, more than ever these and other organisations must be well funded by this state government to enable their work with and for women to be lasting and successful. Seeds of Affinity operates part-time with extraordinarily limited resources out of the Semaphore Uniting Church and, shamefully, has little to no funding support from this state government despite repeated requests and representations about this lack of funding since 2018.

Its need for more permanent premises and the fine work that it undertakes must be heard. I thank every person involved with Seeds of Affinity for their ongoing commitment to making a difference with and for women, for their kindness and for the respect and dignity they seek to ensure all women experience. Seeds of Affinity is enormously successful in enabling women to stay out of prison. Their funded peer-driven approach works in other jurisdictions including in Queensland and Victoria; however, shamefully, there are no similar funded peer-driven services available to women in the South Australian criminal justice system.

The program in other states reduces the social isolation that many women feel after being released from prison. We must address the trauma, grief and depression associated with prison and support and empower women experiencing them. Seeds of Affinity and other organisations have the capacity and expertise to help do this but not the financial capacity. The relationships women develop through the program in other states that I have mentioned help them re-establish family life, employment and study opportunities.

I have moved an amendment to the motion today because we must properly fund similar programs in our state. We must properly fund Seeds of Affinity and other organisations in this space. I agree with the sentiment of this motion that we must connect women to support services in our community and I deeply agree about the importance of partnerships with the community sector in supporting women exiting the prison system.

Having represented community sector workers for many years, I know well their outstanding dedication to working with and for people, and enabling and empowering them to build strength and self-worth. However, what I also know is that the organisations in which these workers work must be properly funded if they are to do their best work to most effectively support people. If we are serious, really serious, about making change in this area and about valuing both the women exiting prison and the organisations that support them, we must do more than simply have this motion in our parliament.

We must properly fund the programs and organisations that this motion seeks to recognise and we must properly fund domestic violence prevention, affordable and safe housing, and mental health programs. That is what this amendment speaks to and that is why I commend this amendment to the house.

Mrs POWER (Elder) (11:54): I rise to support the original motion moved by the member for King, who I know is an incredibly strong advocate not only for her electorate but also for gender equality, so I thank her for bringing this important motion to the house. Her motion highlights the importance of collaborative opportunities to help support female offenders during and after their interaction with our corrections system. That is exactly what is being explored by the strong foundations and clear pathways women offender ministerial workgroup.

As co-convener with the Minister for Correctional Services, we established this ministerial workgroup to utilise a wide breadth of experience across different sectors, to assist in making recommendations to improve responses for women offenders and their children, as well as enhance the ability of the justice system to better respond to their needs.

In my capacity as the Assistant Minister for Domestic and Family Violence Prevention, I chair the workgroup which comprises Helen Connolly, the Commissioner for Children and Young People; Nicole Dwyer, CEO of Workskil; Maria Hagias, the Chief Executive Officer of Women's Safety Services SA; the Hon. Di Laidlaw, who most of us in this house will know was the former minister and champion of women in politics; Nerida Saunders, Executive Director of Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation; Sarah Paddock, architect/coordinator of Totalspace Design; Kerryn White from Edge Church, who has experience working with former prisoners within the community; and representatives from the Department for Correctional Services, including the CE.

This ministerial workgroup is working to influence actions under the Department for Correctional Services' strategies: Women's Action Plan 2019-24—Strong Foundations and Clear Pathways2; and Safe Children and Strong Families 2017-20. The terms of reference for the group reflects the areas of expertise of the members who bring their own lens to assist in identifying opportunities to improve responses for women offenders and their children.

Key focus areas that impact women offenders have been identified and will support in steering the priorities of the group. The group is considering and seeking opportunities around:

1. Ensuring the effective management and rehabilitation of specific populations of women, such as Aboriginal women, women living with disability, and women experiencing domestic and family violence. Both the member for King and the member for Reynell talked about women from these particular groups.

2. Enhancing the safety and life outcomes of children and young people who are impacted by their parent's incarceration or criminal activity.

3. Addressing the impact of domestic and family violence for women offenders to mitigate risk and enhance their safety.

4. Gathering input from a broad range of interest groups, including women with lived experience.

5. Promoting and delivering messages about women offenders that is accurate and informed to challenge community stereotypes.

The work of this group with members from across government and non-government sectors speaks to the essence of the member for King's motion; that is, partnerships in this respect are very important in supporting female offenders across the community and connecting them with services.

The women offender workgroup has held two meetings since its inception this year, and the feedback, input and ideas from around the table have been incredible and so valued. The passion of members who want to make a positive, tangible difference to the lives of these women is certainly felt amongst the group. By working together and bringing together our respective areas of expertise, the group is working to consider and influence strategies to indeed improve responses for women and their children.

We know that reducing recidivism ultimately reduces the cost to the South Australian taxpayer. While this is an aim, it is not the only goal. The workgroup has a clear and strong desire to improve the skills, education, supports and wellbeing of women offenders to assist in changing the course of their life for the better. As a government, and with the input of the workgroup, we want to work towards tailoring services to best support the unique needs of women and their children. It is crucial that we ensure women in our corrections system are safe, have access to services and are best able to connect with their children and their family.

I thank the member for King for her motion. Certainly, the work of this ministerial group supports just how important it is to partner with the not-for-profit sector. I acknowledge some of the comments she made about the incredible groups, charities and non-government agencies that are doing work in this space and I echo her acknowledgement and thanks to those particular groups, service providers and industry leaders.

Regardless of whether women are serving time in custody or in Community Corrections, it is so important that they can be supported, educated and assisted to prevent their return to our correctional systems and ultimately that they are supported and empowered to live full lives as participating members of our community. I commend the motion to the house.

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (12:00): I am happy to support the member for King's motion, but I really want to commend the amendment by the member for Reynell, which is what I would like to see added to the motion today. I was very interested to hear the contribution of the member for Elder about the ministerial work group. Of course, these work groups have been around for the entire 23 years of my time in this house.

I very much remember the first visit I made to the Women's Prison in Adelaide on Grand Junction Road, which is now of course in the electorate Florey. To say it was shocking such a place existed in the world of 1997 would be an understatement. While being part of the greyhound training program was the pinnacle of your time in the Women's Prison, very few people were ever able to avail themselves of the opportunity to be involved with the program.

In supporting the member for Reynell's amendment, it is actually vital the government becomes involved as well, while not taking away from the member for King's notion it is very important for NGOs and volunteers who, of course, underpin nearly everything in our society now where we expect people to work for no remuneration at all, but that of course is another story.

Very early in my tenure as the member for Florey, one of my staff encouraged me to get interested in women's prisons and I have boxes of information. I am proud to say I knew Debbie Kilroy in the very early days of Sisters Inside and attended some pretty amazing conferences in Melbourne. When Anna Kemp and Linda Fisk started Seeds of Affinity, I was thrilled to be involved with them, not only because of the importance of their work but because of Muriel Matters. I know you will all be surprised I am weaving Muriel Matters into this contribution today, but of course Muriel was imprisoned for her activism not long after chaining herself to the ladies gallery of the House of Commons.

Muriel famously said, 'If they thought they were going to break us, they were wrong. We merely added women's prison reform to our list of grievances.' So when I found out suffragists in Britain sold soap many years ago to raise money, it was no trouble for me to start selling Seeds of Affinity soap, and I have for the full 10 years of the Muriel Matters Society, and spread the word of the work of Seeds of Affinity throughout the whole of Adelaide because, like Muriel, I have spoken all over Adelaide.

I would also like to mention the work of Anne Bachmann, who is a community visitor to the Women's Prison and has been for many, many years. On my last visit there, just prior to the halfway stage of the new Women's Prison, I was taken through the current areas. I suppose this is secret squirrel, but I am going to tell you all today: I was impressed there was a barista's course because the one thing that is going to help women when they get out of prison is employment, and if you can make coffee you can just about get a job anywhere at all.

Jobs, as the members for Reynell and King said, and accommodation are such important parts of coming out of prison because, as probably most of you realise, when you go into prison for a period of time you almost always lose all your possessions—your furniture goes, your clothing goes—and it is very hard to get back into the community, not to even mention the loss of your children or, if you are unfortunate enough (or fortunate enough) to be having a child while you are incarcerated, the loss of your baby, which is still a very big blight on us here in South Australia.

As mentioned, there is also Helen Glanville, along with Geoff and everyone at Second Chances. Helen and I attended a public relations course at TAFE in the late eighties. So I have known Helen for many years and all the amazing work she has put into, particularly as the member for King said, supporting the children of prisoners, because they are a group who are often lost in this process. I commend Leigh Garrett at OARS, whose work has been amazing, and, of course, the work of ALRM and Cheryl Axleby particularly at the moment and all those who are there.

I think the really important thing for us to remember in acknowledging all the things that are mentioned in both the motion and the amendment is education for people who are incarcerated is a really important part of what I would like to put forward to the house. Nearly everybody I have met or been involved with in prison has not had formal education beyond year 9.

I remember having a debate with the then minister, Jane Lomax-Smith, trying to get an audit to see how many years of education we owe everybody, both men and women, in prison. Unless you are able to be literate and numerate, it is going to be so very hard for you—particularly now but also in those days—to secure employment, which is one of the few ways you can get ahead.

The other thing I would like to mention today is visiting and supporting prisoners who are incarcerated. It has to be one of the most demoralising things to do. Have any of you actually tried to make an appointment to visit a prisoner on the system? It is only open for a certain number of hours after a certain time.

We are still pushing and I do have a response from the minister about their online booking system. There is no excuse for not having one in this day and age. Of course, prisoners have been locked down without support. I understand there were five iPads for online visits in the prison I was interested in and the place is at capacity.

So, all of these things are really important. I am very happy to be able to support the amendment to the member for King's motion and I sincerely hope the house will accept it as the motion.

Ms COOK (Hurtle Vale) (12:06): I rise to support the very commendable motion by the member for King and I also support the amendments by the member for Reynell, who is the shadow spokesperson for women. She has a deep understanding of the connections needed and the ambition that is required in order to establish community services and connections to government with a commitment to ensure that women who have been in the prison system are given choice and options when they leave that system.

I not only support the motion but the motion is actually strengthened by the direction and the heart with which the amendments have been made. I hope that all members will support these very important amendments that strengthen our ambition and goal.

Partnerships with the non-government sector, of course, are vital. I have a long track record working in the community sector in community services—not only community services, but those that concentrate on providing skills, education and strength for people who find themselves, because of the circumstances in which they have grown up, most often on a pathway to victimisation, a lifetime of becoming a victim and having difficulty staying out of criminality.

It sometimes actually becomes almost a choice to return to prison, which is a terrible thing. I have spoken to a number of people who have been in prison for a large portion of their life, particularly women. Some of this recidivism comes from the very words that are mentioned in the amendment by the member for Reynell about providing those lessons for skills for life, for jobs, for housing, for education and for all those things that are really at the heart of developing a firm connection in the community that is supported not just by government but by really amazing community service workers.

Some of the organisations that are vital in supporting our women who find themselves incarcerated are organisations that have been mentioned. I will just do a quick shout-out to some of the ones that I have had connections with and whose work I have watched, such as Second Chances, Seeds of Affinity and OARS, and, of course, the Women's Legal Service and the Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement. There is a whole range of other larger community service providers that also are connected, such as Anglicare, Uniting Communities, Baptist Care—we could go on forever.

From a community service point of view, while I acknowledge the importance of recognising some of the dialogue that has come from the member for King and the member for Elder, I just want members to think back as well to the cruel cuts to the community sector that were inflicted almost the minute the federal Liberal government took over in 2013. Since then, we have seen billions of dollars cut out of the heart of the community sector. There was enormous reform announced in terms of volunteering, which would have seen the guts ripped out of peak volunteering bodies that support the very organisations that you are trying to celebrate and recognise in this motion.

I sat with peak bodies and organisations, as a member of them myself, to fight these federal Liberal government cuts. At the time, when the state Liberals were in opposition here, they were silent on this. They did nothing to try to reverse this, nothing to speak up against it, and so I am encouraged by the acknowledgement of the importance of the non-government sector by the member for King. I hope that she comes into this place with fresh eyes on that determination to fight any other cuts that might be inflicted.

Having said that, I congratulate the motion from the member for King. I thank the member for Reynell for focusing on things that are fundamental to success for women leaving corrections, such as housing in particular, and I make a commitment to continue to visit, work with and talk with women and set goals around provision of secure and long-term safe housing, because without housing, you cannot access health, education, jobs, family reunification and other community networks.

Mr ODENWALDER (Elizabeth) (12:11): I rise to make a very brief contribution to this motion. I want to congratulate, first of all, the member for King on bringing this very important motion to the house. Often in private members' business, which often goes unnoticed by members of the public, we are sometimes in furious agreement about certain issues, and this is certainly one of them from the outset. I do want to add, though, that I think that the motion is considerably strengthened by the amendments proposed by the member for Reynell, the shadow minister, because they go beyond words, beyond statements of support, to actual outcomes-based funding.

We have all been again in furious agreement about the importance of the work of Seeds of Affinity. Like most people who have contributed to this debate, I have had some very enlightening and enriching dealings with Seeds of Affinity since my time as the shadow minister for corrections. They do some excellent work. I even spent an hour on their radio show on WOW FM, which I confess I had never heard of, not being a Port Adelaide person.

Mr Pederick: Shame!

Mr ODENWALDER: Indeed, and I have been corrected since. They are a very good group of women. Their work is informed, of course, by their own experiences largely. This goes to the importance of the member for Reynell's amendment because, while we are all in here talking up Linda and her organisation and, rightly so, the work that they do, they did come to the government on 28 August 2018, nearly two years ago, with a costed proposal which, from my reading, would help many, many women not only while they are incarcerated but also in finding pathways to employment, to education and, most importantly perhaps, pathways away from recidivism.

To my knowledge, and I would be interested to see if the minister himself will make a contribution, they have not received a response to the letter, let alone any commitment of funding. The member for King talks about an MOU. That is all very well, but again, as the member for Reynell very succinctly put it, these things need to be backed up with funding. Seeds of Affinity have a proposal. It is costed, and I would like to see the government make some sort of commitment to funding it.

The member for Florey introduced another angle to this, if you like, which is the state of the Women's Prison itself and the women's prison system. I think that it is a system that is long overdue for some reform. We will be saying more about that as time progresses, but it is very important to put that on the table straightaway. It is not just about pathways after women leave incarceration; it is from the moment they are incarcerated. It is about recognising that, as many people have said, women who are incarcerated are very often victims themselves of some very brutal and continuing acts. That needs to be recognised from the moment they enter the system, not just when they are leaving the system and we are trying to prevent recidivism.

I support the member for King in this motion. I think that it is a very good motion. I know that she is sincere in bringing it to the house, but I think it is considerably strengthened by the member for Reynell's amendment and I urge the house to support it.

Mr PEDERICK (Hammond) (12:15): I acknowledge this very fine motion by the member for King:

That this house—

(a) recognises the importance of partnerships with the non-government sector in supporting female offenders in the community;

(b) acknowledges the importance of connecting women to support services in the community; and

(c) recognises the important role volunteers and former offenders can play in reducing recidivism.

I think that supporting women and their access to community and support services if they happen to find themselves on the wrong side of the law is very important work. They certainly need support moving forward and that has been recognised across the house in various ways. I want to move an amendment to the member for Reynell's amendment. I want to amend paragraph (d) as follows:

(d) acknowledges the state government's role, support and funding of programs and organisations to increase their strength and self-worth as they transition from prison into the community.

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Everybody has had their opportunity to contribute to this debate. The member for Hammond now has his. He will be heard in silence.

Mr PEDERICK: Thank you for your protection, sir. I am only a little bloke. We accept the amendment inserting paragraph (e) as presented. Some people in this house—and it has just happened with the interjections—do not understand that there may be a different point of view. The last time I looked, this is not a socialist state.

Members interjecting:

Mr PEDERICK: I am still hearing crickets, I think.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Carry on regardless.

Mr PEDERICK: Thank you for protection again, Mr Deputy Speaker. Your great support is highly valued. I would like to acknowledge the work that this government is doing in supporting women right across the board. Obviously, that work comes from the minister in the other place, the Hon. Michelle Lensink. We have the assistant minister here, Carolyn Power, and the member for King, Paula Luethen, provides great advocacy in regard to all matters regarding women.

Women are a very vital part of our community. We have put programs in place to support women offenders and we will go on doing that. It is alright to hear criticism from the other side but, for all the bleating, they had 16 years to do this. We will continue to strengthen the links between women and the support services they need throughout the community, whether they be government or non-government support services, so they can thrive and prosper as they move forward in their lives. We are a government that will stand right next to them. I commend the amendment to the amendment and I commend the fine original motion from the member for King.

Ms WORTLEY (Torrens) (12:19): I would like to add my voice of support to the motion moved by the member for King and, in particular, the amendments moved by the member for Reynell. Recognising the ongoing need for the state government to properly fund programs and organisations that work with women to increase their strength and self-worth as they transition from prison into the community is so important as part of the original resolution, as is recognising that women leaving the prison system need access to safe and secure accommodation, education and employment opportunities to reduce the risk of homelessness, abuse and health issues. The member for Reynell has highlighted her reasons for moving those amendments.

There are so many people who do work particularly with the women who are transitioning from prison back into the community. On a number of occasions, I have had the opportunity to visit Yatala prison and other facilities to see the work the women there are doing. I know there are many organisations that assist with this. We have already heard about Seeds of Affinity. The member for Florey has spoken about Second Chances, OARS and ALRM. All these organisations do a lot of great work.

I would like to add to that list of people who do terrific work. One of my residents, Annie Backman, has worked tirelessly over many years to assist women while in prison and when they leave the prison system to transition back into the community. Speaking with some of the women, both while they have been in the prison system and once they have left, we do see generations of the same family go through prison. This is something that as a government we have worked on, and that needs to continue to be worked on so that these women get the support that they need. We really need to concentrate on that because it is about the future.

Ms LUETHEN (King) (12:22): I rise to support the motion with the amended amendments that have been moved. I am surprised that we have had so many people talking on this topic. It warms my heart that we have had so many people supporting a better way forward for women who have ended up in prison, a pathway to empower them once they leave prison, thinking and talking about their children and the support they need as well.

I thank the member for Elder, the Assistant Minister for Domestic and Family Violence, who has today given us a deeper understanding of the important progress that is being made to support and empower women offenders to make positive changes. I thank her for her contribution. I thank the member for Hammond for his contribution, which I could hear was heartfelt, and I thank him for his amendments. I thank the member for Reynell for supporting women on an ongoing basis and for moving some amendments. We are all in support of the core of those amendments.

I thank the member for Florey, the member for Hurtle Vale, the member for Elizabeth and the member for Torrens for their contributions and their support for these women. It is excellent to hear this level of interest and support to empower these women to have better futures.

In closing, we must continue to support these programs and support partnerships that empower women who have offended to access support services that build them up and build their capacity to fully function and parent in our community. Our whole community will benefit from that. This in turn will enhance community safety and break cycles of disadvantage and abuse which children may become subjected to.

I believe South Australians deserve a corrections system that is effective in reducing criminal behaviour, making our neighbourhoods safer and helping more people live their best life possible. The community suffers when the only thing a prisoner learns in prison is to continue on with the behaviours which saw them enter there in the first place.

I commit to this place that I will collaborate with every member in this house to make sure we build a better future for every single woman entering the system, for their pathway from this system and for the children who are impacted too. I thank everyone for their contribution.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The first question before the Chair in relation to this motion is an amendment to the amendment, which was moved by the member for Hammond.

The house divided on the amendment to the amendment:

Ayes 23

Noes 20

Majority 3

AYES
Basham, D.K.B. Chapman, V.A. Cowdrey, M.J.
Cregan, D. Duluk, S. Ellis, F.J.
Gardner, J.A.W. Harvey, R.M. Knoll, S.K.
Luethen, P. (teller) Marshall, S.S. McBride, N.
Murray, S. Pederick, A.S. Pisoni, D.G.
Power, C. Sanderson, R. Speirs, D.J.
Teague, J.B. Treloar, P.A. van Holst Pellekaan, D.C.
Whetstone, T.J. Wingard, C.L.
NOES
Bedford, F.E. Bettison, Z.L. Bignell, L.W.K.
Boyer, B.I. Brock, G.G. Brown, M.E. (teller)
Close, S.E. Cook, N.F. Hildyard, K.A.
Hughes, E.J. Koutsantonis, A. Malinauskas, P.
Michaels, A. Mullighan, S.C. Odenwalder, L.K.
Piccolo, A. Picton, C.J. Stinson, J.M.
Szakacs, J.K. Wortley, D.
PAIRS
Patterson, S.J.R. Gee, J.P.


Amendment to the amendment thus carried; motion as amended carried.

PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS
MEMBERS
GET INVOLVED
ABOUT PARLIAMENT
VISIT
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY
CONTACT