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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-06-25 Daily Xml
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Department for Correctional Services, $488,712,000


Membership:

Mr Batty substituted for Hon. J.A.W. Gardner.


Minister:

Hon. E.S. Bourke, Minister for Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Minister for Autism, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing.


Departmental Advisers:

Mr D. Brown, Chief Executive, Department for Correctional Services.

Ms S. Taylor, Executive Director, Corporate Services, Department for Correctional Services.

Ms K. Smith, Director, Finance, Department for Correctional Services.

Ms S. Borrillo, Senior Adviser, Government and Jurisdictional Affairs, Department for Correctional Services.


The CHAIR: The portfolio is the Department for Correctional Services. I declare the proposed payments open for examination. I call upon the minister, if she so wishes, to make an opening statement and to introduce her advisers.

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: Thank you, Chair. I would like to start by introducing Mr David Brown, the Chief Executive of the Department for Correctional Services, and Ms Sarah Taylor, the Executive Director of Corporate Services. On the table behind me are Ms Kerri-Anne Smith, the Director of Finance, and Ms Sofia Borrillo, Senior Adviser. I am grateful to all the DCS staff for their hard work in assisting with my preparation for this examination today, and also to the team that supports me every day in my office.

Correctional services is a portfolio that performs a critical public safety service. Today, I am pleased to highlight some important new strategies and initiatives in the ongoing pursuit to reduce offending by 2026 and beyond. The 2025-26 state budget provides $6.8 million over four years to improve security at prisons in metropolitan Adelaide and regional SA.

As part of this $6.8 million, the department received $1.6 million for technology-driven security measures, including new body scanners, with Port Augusta Prison being a priority site. A body scanner was installed last August, in 2024, at the Adelaide Women's Prison, a state-of-the-art scanner that enables the detection of objects on or inside a person's body without the need to remove clothing. You can understand the many benefits that would come from that.

There are three body scanners at the Yatala Labour Prison, also resulting in improved outcomes, as scan results take less than half the time of traditional searches, boosting efficiency in the prison system. As part of this budget, new screening will be installed on the perimeter fence of the Adelaide Women's Prison to prevent contraband such as tennis balls from entering the site. This will help to improve safety for the prisoners, staff and the community.

In addition, there is $72.4 million over five years to increase prison capacity by an additional 116 beds by undertaking expansion across various prison facilities This brings the total additional beds to 468 over the previous two budget cycles. Also, $1.4 million over two years has been invested to set up and operate an additional 19 transition beds at Mount Gambier Prison to provide immediate additional prison capacity.

These new beds across the state are in addition to the $227 million, which is a record amount invested from last year's state budget to deliver 312 high-security beds at the Yatala Labour Prison and an extra 40 beds at the Adelaide Women's Prison in a secure and more rehabilitative environment. The 40 additional beds at the Adelaide Women's Prison are programmed to come online in June 2026, and the 104 high-security beds at the Yatala Labour Prison are scheduled to come online in June 2027, with a further 208 beds for men scheduled to come online in July 2029, also at Yatala.

Importantly, in the 2025-26 state budget, $8.1 million over four years has been allocated to establish an additional 30-bed Bail Accommodation Support Program (BASP), which will create a remand to bail pathway. This will provide participants with case management to transition to longer term housing, increasing their likelihood of meeting their bail conditions, maintaining their links to services in the community and, in turn, reduce recidivism and contribute to Closing the Gap targets.

Investment in contemporary accommodation, security measures and bail assistance supports the department to continue to focus on rehabilitation efforts and our commitment to reducing recidivism by 20 per cent by 2026. DCS has already seen great success through the initiatives such as the Reducing Reoffending: 10% by 2020 Strategy, also known as 10by20, which was started by our now Premier in 2016. Now DCS is again leading the way with the current target for a reduction of 20 per cent by 2026 (20by26).

The 2023-24 report on government services (RoGS) shows that the state's recidivism rate fell to 35.8 per cent, a more than 1 per cent decline in the last year's rate and well below the national average of 52.5 per cent. Contributing to this is prisoner participation in education and training, with 82 per cent of education and vocational programs successfully completed. Increase in employment is another focus, with more than eight of 10 prisoners (84.3 per cent) participating in job-ready activities, up 9 per cent on 2022-23 figures in SA and above this year's national rate of 79.1 per cent.

Initiatives as part of the 10by20 and 20by26 are contributing to a safer community and increased opportunities for people in contact with the criminal justice system to contribute positively to the community. Since becoming minister, I have had the privilege to help launch two strategies which aim to improve outcomes for prisoners, offenders and to help recruit staff. The women's action plan 2025-30 was launched in March, and the Ubuntu strategic framework and action plan was launched last month in May. The Ubuntu strategic framework is a pioneering initiative within the Australian correctional community aimed at improving outcomes for both staff and justice-involved individuals of African heritage.

While our state leads the nation in reducing reoffending, including being well placed to achieve the 20by26 target, the department continues to seek out evidence-based initiatives to reduce reoffending and boost alternatives to custody. This includes remaining steadfast in Closing the Gap. Aboriginal people in South Australia are 12 times more likely to be imprisoned when compared to the general population and 10 times more likely to be under a community corrections order.

Aboriginal South Australians are also over-represented in the remand population. Nearly 57 per cent of Aboriginal people in prison are on remand. This is 16 times higher than the general population. This disproportion requires collaboration from all areas of the government and society. This is why our government is establishing a remand issues working group, bringing together key government agencies at the one table to review the shared opportunities and challenges that influence remand.

This builds on the work DCS has already successfully implemented in alternatives to custody, positively impacting prisoner numbers and improving reintegration outcomes. DCS has commissioned WorkPlace at Jonal Drive, Cavan, which has provided 36 beds for men who had no suitable accommodation available upon release.

Not-for-profit agency OARS Community Transitions has been engaged to deliver the WorkPlace program and manage the facility, and OARS has engaged Workskil Australia to provide support to program participants to help them achieve employment outcomes. I am also pleased to advise that the federal government has also committed $6.7 million over the next five years to ensure participants have wraparound case management support, along with suitable housing at WorkPlace.

Lemongrass Place in Port Augusta, operated by the Aboriginal Drug and Alcohol Council, also provides 20 supported beds for Aboriginal men from regional and remote South Australia in a community transition centre to support their reintegration and return to country.

I now would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the staff of the department and highlight the agency's continued workforce planning. Correctional staff hold an important dual role of ensuring the safety and security of the prison system, an incredibly complex environment, while also prioritising rehabilitation and integration to help offenders build the skills and experience needed to change their lives and avoid returning to prison.

Frontline staff serve a critical function, and I am pleased to report that, for the period of June 2024 to May 2025, DCS recruited a total of 131 new trainee correctional officers. The next trainee correctional officer school is planned to commence on 30 June 2025, and I look forward to welcoming more recruits soon. Once again, I would like to thank the DCS staff for all the incredible work they have done and for all the work they do across our system.

Mr BATTY: Thank you for that comprehensive opening statement, minister. I might begin with some questions on the new budget measures. I refer to Budget Paper 5, page 18. I want to go through a couple in turn, starting with the initiative to expand prison capacity. This is a new initiative that will see an additional 116 beds. Where will those 116 beds go?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: As you can appreciate, this budget announcement is only recent. We are working through where we want these beds the most, and this provides us an opportunity to do just that. We know that this is a system that is joined together by nine prisons. It enables us to look at the flexibility of how these 116 beds will be made available and gives us the best opportunity to provide support where it is needed most.

It is a unique ability to have a correctional system where nine prisons are connected, because it really depends on the support that is required for those individuals. It is giving us the flexibility of getting the new 116 beds, and, since coming to government, we have had the opportunity to either open or invest in over 700 beds. This has been an incredible outcome for our system, one that will have many benefits in the time to come. These 116 beds are a big part of that story.

Mr BATTY: So you have no idea into which prisons the 116 beds will be added?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: No, those are definitely not the words that I just used. These beds will be coming online and be made available, as I said in my opening remarks. We already have beds that are being made available at Mount Gambier as part of an immediate transition point of view that we could get them online as quickly as possible. We are working across the system. It is a connected system, and it will enable us to have the beds where they are needed most.

Mr BATTY: Which of the nine prisons has capacity to add 116 beds?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: As I suggested earlier, we have identified priority size. This is really enabling us to know where the priority is. Also, there is an opportunity now, because this is a connected system, to have flexibility as to where else the beds could be going. I think this is an opportunity—when we are investing in more beds than ever before, with the record amount in last year's budget announcement and then increasing them again in this budget cycle—to give us the ability to put the beds where they are required.

As I said just earlier, over 700 beds, just since we have been elected, either open or invested in is an incredible change to the system.

Mr BATTY: I am trying to get a bit of an idea of what this investment actually looks like. We have nine prisons. Are there some prisons where there is a spare room to put hundreds of beds, or is this investing in additional infrastructure at those sites? You cannot just announce 116 beds and not have any idea of whereabouts they going to go.

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: As I said earlier, there are changes that are happening across the system. In Mount Gambier, in particular, we have the opportunity to invest in new facilities. It is not just new beds being put into the prison, there is also an opportunity to build infrastructure in this process. It is a connected system and it enables us to have that flexibility to increase beds but also change built infrastructure as well.

Mr BATTY: But this is separate to the Mount Gambier Prison additional capacity, which is also a budget measure. That is listed on page 19. I am still at a total loss as to where these 116 beds in the system are going to go.

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: If you look at the announcement, 19 beds are for transition as well. That has been allocated to support the immediate requirements within our prison system, and the package you were referring to, the $72.4 million over five years, is enabling us to not only increase beds but also make infrastructure changes.

Mr BATTY: At which prisons will those infrastructure changes be?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: As I have said, this enables us to have the opportunity to look at our prison system and find the appropriate sites for them to be going to and the priority areas we will be putting them into.

Mr BATTY: When will the first of these 116 beds come online?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: There is a combination of things going on here: the immediate support we can provide and also the new beds and additional facilities. Our aim is to try to get that happening as quickly as possible, so between now and the middle of next year, 2026, is what I have been advised we are aiming to achieve.

Mr BATTY: So the middle of 2026 is when the first beds will come online from this announcement?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: No; I said 'now'. Some beds will come online now.

Mr BATTY: Whereabouts?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: As I said earlier, Mount Gambier provides those transition beds that have been invested in. We can get them up and running pretty quickly.

Mr BATTY: I am just referring to this discrete budget announcement called 'Expanding prison capacity, adding 116 beds,' which I think is separate and different to the Mount Gambier announcement.

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: As I said, it is our objective to have them online by the end of next financial year, so June 2026.

Mr BATTY: But you do not know where yet?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: No; that is your comment. As I have said, this enables us to know what our priority areas are. We know what our priority areas are, considering the incredible investment we are making as a government in this space which enables us to have flexibility because of this new budget measure.

As a government we have made it pretty clear that we are willing to invest, and not just invest but make record investments, as we did in the last budget. That was a record investment in bed numbers. We are again increasing on that record amount with 116 new beds, which gives us the opportunity to not only invest in our priority areas, which we are looking to do, but also to have a look at the prison system as a holistic system and see where best to put that support.

Mr BATTY: I really am not trying to be tricky; I am just trying to understand what those priority areas are and whether one prison is a priority over another. Is it 100 beds at Yatala or is it 100 beds at the Women's Prison? What is the priority? The next question is: is there space to put these beds at those prisons or is this just a random, aspirational goal with not much thought put behind it yet?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: As I said earlier, we have made record investments in our prison system. We have seen those investments go into Yatala and the Women's Prison, beds that I know are welcome and that have been long called for. That is why we have invested heavily in this space, that is why we continue to do so, and that is why these 116 new beds will be available across our prison system.

Mr BATTY: Will that be at the new prison?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: As I said earlier we have nine prisons, and these 116 beds will be invested within our system.

Mr BATTY: Does this funding for an additional 116 beds include additional corrections officers or is it just additional beds?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: As is the case when new beds are coming online, the new beds are made available and then the operational costs are made available as well, so those FTEs are supported through those operational funds becoming available.

Mr BATTY: I will detour to workforce for one moment on the back of that question, at page 102 of Budget Paper 4, which is the workforce summary. It shows the 2024-25 estimated result as being 2,059, and then that number is budgeted to decrease over the coming budget year to 2,030. Is it the case that over the next year you intend to add prison beds to the system but you intend to have fewer Department for Correctional Services employees?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: This comes back to the point I was making earlier regarding when a bed is delivered into the actual prison and then operational funding is made available as well to support the staffing measures that come with that. Also, in regard to the numbers you have highlighted, there is a shift in FTE also because of an iSAFE project. That is like an IT program that is being delivered. It is underway and close to being implemented. Those 20 FTEs were really about generating that program and now it is at the point of being made available.

In regard to other opportunities to invest in FTEs, I guess that has been made available in previous years as well. In 2022-23 an operating budget of $33 million was received which resulted in an increase of 126 frontline staff, and we saw those increases as well in 2023-24 with six new frontline staff, and in 2024-25 which resulted in an increase of 13 frontline staff, I have been advised, because of those budget investments.

Mr BATTY: To use your words 'frontline staff', how many frontline staff do we have now in this financial year that is about to end?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: My understanding is that we have about 2,098 which can be broken down across our system. There are other supports that are available in funding available through either not-for-profits that provide support but also across our community corrections system as well. I will get David to run thorough those in detail for you so you get a better understanding of where that headcount is placed.

Mr BROWN: As of 30 April this year, there were 2,098 people working for the Department for Correctional Services. More than half of those staff, 1,058, are frontline correctional officers paid in the CO stream. We have 187 staff employed in the ops stream, who are also overwhelmingly frontline staff. Then we have allied health staff—psychologists, social workers and other professionals—working the frontline, with a headcount of 180. We also have 546 staff paid in the administrative stream. Some of those staff obviously have corporate functions, but a number of those staff are also working in frontline locations and may not be eligible to be paid in the AHP stream, for example. That is a bit of an overview of that staffing.

Mr BATTY: If I take perhaps just one of those streams, I think it was 1,058 in one stream of frontline corrections officers, what is that projected to be for this coming budget year?

Mr BROWN: I have not got that specific number, but it fluctuates depending on the cycle of our recruitment. For example, we have a trainee correctional officers' school running at the moment. We have another trainee correctional officers' school about to commence. Our workforce goes up and down based on the timing of our recruitment. On top of that, as we bring additional beds online in the system, we will review the establishment for the affected site and as we bring on additional frontline staff they get added to the establishment.

Mr BATTY: What is the attrition rate for correctional officers for the financial year that is about to end?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: My understanding is it is 10.83 per cent, but that is across all staff, just to keep that in mind.

Mr BATTY: That is an increase from last year?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: I am advised it is an improvement on last year, where it was 13.91.

Mr BATTY: I might just return to the prison capacity announcement, which is Budget Paper 5, page 18. What is the current approved capacity across the system?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: As I am sure you can appreciate, this number will go up and down regularly. As of June 2025—I am not sure exactly of the date—the capacity sits around 3,560.

Mr BATTY: What is the current prison population?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: Again, I am sure you can appreciate these numbers will change as we see quite significant movement across our prison system. As of 20 June 2025, there were 3,398 people in custody. This was broken down and includes 11 in James Nash House. That is across our system.

Mr BATTY: I appreciate that number must fluctuate quite a bit. Over the last 12 months, what is the highest that has been; where has it peaked?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: I guess the most recent peak that I am aware of is 3 April 2025, which I am advised was 3,485 across the system.

Mr BATTY: So that is just 75 surplus beds in the system?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: I guess you can appreciate why we are investing in our beds in our state. We have invested more than ever before. But as I have said, those numbers will peak and will change throughout the year. It also, I guess, comes to the point that I mentioned in my opening remarks about: what does our prison system look like, and having the ability to bring together that remand group that we talked about, a strategic group that we are bringing together across government.

We know that prison numbers will fluctuate, but we also know that we are investing, as I said earlier. Since coming into government, over 700 beds have either been opened or invested in. We can talk about those numbers—that is a lot of beds that have been opened. I think, by anyone's standards, no matter what side of politics you are on, that is a lot of beds.

But what are we doing, I guess, about that story at the beginning? That is why we are bringing that remand group together, because we know that the remand population is a high number and a big percentage of our prison system; I think it is around 45 per cent. So if we cannot think about what we can do differently to support the remand community, we are not going to necessarily address what we are doing within our general prison system as well.

The CHAIR: I will just go over to the member for Waite, assuming the minister is finished the answer?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: Yes.

Ms HUTCHESSON: I refer you to Budget Paper 4, Volume 1, page 105. Will the minister inform the committee about the government's 20by26 strategy to reduce reoffending?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: I thank the member for her question and her interest in this important topic. I am proud to share that South Australia is continuing to lead the way in reducing reoffending. As some may know, in 2016, the then minister for correctional services and now Premier of South Australia, the Hon. Peter Malinauskas, launched a bold initiative to reduce the rate of reoffending by 10 per cent by 2020.

Through increased government investments and the efforts of the Department for Correctional Services staff and its community partners, the 10by20 target was not only met but exceeded, resulting in South Australia having the lowest rate of recidivism in the country. But importantly, we did not stop there.

In 2022, the Malinauskas government committed to a new target of reducing reoffending by 20 per cent by 2026 against the 2016 baseline. The key to the 20by26 strategy is the government's investment in a range of initiatives, including Closing the Gap strategies, rehabilitation programs, alternatives to custody responses and contemporary policies and infrastructure.

The latest Report on Government Services (RoGS) shows that the 20by26 strategy is working. The state's recidivism rate has fallen to 35.8 per cent, well below the national average of 52.5 per cent. The report shows we also lead the nation in prisoner participation in education and training, with around half of DCS prisoners (49.7 per cent) engaging in those activities, well above the national rate of 25.7 per cent.

Last year's budget invested $6.3 million to expand the Work Ready, Release Ready program to help support more prisoners return to employment upon release and reduce the risk for reoffending. Work Ready, Release Ready is delivered through a contract with Workskil Australia. Workskil Australia is a South Australian not-for-profit community organisation and one of Australia's largest providers of employment services. The key aims of Work Ready, Release Ready are to:

support participants to build job skills in prerelease through education, vocational training and employment readiness training;

help participants to gain financial security, purpose and social connections due to returning to work an mitigate against the likelihood of reoffending and breaches of community-based orders; and

assist participants to find and maintain employment post release.

I am advised that as of 11 June 2025, Work Ready, Release Ready have had just over 1,300 employment placements, with 749 individuals obtaining ongoing work from the program.

As outlined in my opening statement, this budget also includes $8.1 million over four years for an additional 30 beds for the Bail Accommodation Support Program, to create a remand to bail pathway for people who would be eligible for bail but also lack suitable accommodation. The BASP will provide accommodation for up to 21 days and provide participants with case management to transition to longer term housing, increase their likelihood of meeting their bail conditions and maintain links to family, employment and education.

As a government, we are committed to continuing this work started by the Premier in 2026, and I am proud that as a state we are leading the way.

Mr BATTY: On average, how many prisoners enter our system each week? Even roughly.

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: While we are pondering that answer—we might need to come back to it—it is one of those ones where it really does fluctuate. It also depends, I guess, on who is also exiting the prison system. As I said, this is across all the prisons. It could vary week to week. Also, who is exiting the system is just as important as who is entering the system.

Mr BATTY: I am after just an average.

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: I guess as a quick calculation, and something we can look into further if we find that this is not quite on the right mark, I am advised it is around 115.

Mr BATTY: So you have 115 new prisoners entering every week and, at its worst, we have had only had 75 spare beds?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: You are missing a very important part of that story, and that is how many people are leaving the prison system.

Mr BATTY: People are leaving each week as well. I understand.

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: As I said, this is not a system that you can just say: this is what is happening, and it will be same thing that is happening tomorrow. It is a system that is very much connected and it has many variables across it.

Mr BATTY: The timing of people leaving prison is entirely separate and not reliant on the timing of people come coming into prisons, I assume. What contingency planning has the department done if one day there are not 75 beds, one day soon?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: I do not know if you missed the opening statement, but we are having 19 transition beds come online as quickly as possible, if not already online. We are making those investments so that we can make the changes and increase that flexibility across our system. As I have highlighted a number of times, having 700 beds either open or invested in just over the period that we have been elected has enabled us to start finding ways to provide that flexibility.

I know I have already mentioned it, but having those discussions, I think for the first time that are not just in silos, about what we are doing and how we can address this by bringing multiple government agencies together, from housing to Treasury to many other areas, to say, 'What can we do differently?' is an important process here, because otherwise we are going to keep asking the same questions, and that is why we have to think, 'Who is the biggest population? It is people on remand, so what can we do differently there?'

It is important to realise that it is not just about investing in our prison beds but also about investing in bail accommodation, alternative accommodation, because that is what takes pressure off our prison system. When you see things like the $8.1 million investment we have just made in this budget cycle as well, that is also taking the pressure off our prison system. I know you are potentially getting frustrated with me saying that this is a connected system, that it all works together, but that is why we make these investments: to take one pressure off the other.

Mr BATTY: I understand and I appreciate the investment the government is making in adding additional beds to the system and welcome it. My question more is that some of these are not coming online for another year, most of them you cannot even tell me where they are going to go. Does the department have any contingency plan if, next week, a handful fewer people leave the prison than you expected and a handful more enter than you expected and there are no beds? What happens?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: I feel like I have just answered that question in regard to the fact that the numbers will fluctuate, people will enter, people will leave. They are alternatives available in regard to not just our prison bed numbers but also the accommodation through bail support.

Mr BATTY: Is that the contingency plan—if the prisons are full we offer more people bail or alternative methods? Is that what would happen?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: That is not what I have just said. As I said, it is a connected system. When you say what prison numbers will look like one day, potentially it will be very different the next. That is why we have made those investments in multiple areas across the prison system, some within with those new 116 beds and some without it, and outside of that prison system with our bail accommodation, so we can make sure options are available to take pressure off our prison system.

Mr BATTY: I totally understand that, but the investment is trying to make sure we never reach a situation where our prisons are full—it is adding capacity to the system. What happens if we do not do it quite quickly enough, particularly in a situation where we only have 75 spare beds at the moment and 115 prisoners entering the system in any given week?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: I will refer this operational question to David.

Mr BROWN: As an agency we plan for a range of contingency scenarios, including capacity constraints within the system. Capacity constraints can be driven by a number of factors: they could be driven by an unexpected growth in the prisoner population, it could be caused by an infrastructure failure that requires an accommodation unit to be taken offline, it can sometimes be caused because we are doing upgrades to infrastructure. For example, the government invested just over $30 million to allow us to upgrade the secure accommodation at Port Augusta, so we have had a sizable number of beds offline to allow those infrastructure works to occur.

In the event that we exceed capacity at a given point in time, we would deploy those contingencies. To give one example, we recently converted a unit at Port Augusta Prison back to being a unit to accommodate women, thus giving us some additional capacity in the women's system. A second example the minister has already mentioned was we brought an additional 19 beds online at the Mount Gambier Prison. So there are a range of scenarios we can implement.

Finally, I will add that we have quite robust prisoner projections methodology. We operate with a fair degree of confidence that the actual population is going to sit within those projections. That is what we plan for and give advice to government on, which is reflected in the positive investment in new beds.

Mr BATTY: Are you able to provide any other examples of what that contingency planning looks like, were we to, for whatever reason, have this problem tomorrow?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: We are talking in hypotheticals at the moment.

Mr BATTY: No, it is not a hypothetical. I am asking whether the department has contingency plans for—

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: What is the budget line?

Mr BATTY: The budget line is expanding prison capacity. I am asking whether the government has any contingency planning for what would happen when our prisons reach capacity and, if so, what those contingency plans are. We have heard one small example from one. I am just wondering what the rest is.

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: I think I have highlighted a number of times that we are investing in our prison beds. We are investing, and we have heard now that there are processes in place. We also have highlighted a number of times in this chamber today that we are doing something that no other state is doing, and that is reducing reoffending. If we look at what we need to be investing in, it is not just our prison beds but making sure that when people do leave our prison system we do not have them come back again.

When we have the lowest recidivism rate in the nation, we know that we are doing something right in that space. It is not just about investing in a bed; it is about investing in the programs that go with that bed. That is exactly what we are doing as a government, so that when people leave our system and go back into the community we know that we are leading the nation in that space by making sure that they have the skill set that can help set them up to go and seek employment and opportunities that they may not have had before that.

I know that David would be able to find examples, but a simple thing like getting a licence has had a big outcome for people, being able to get themselves to a job, knowing how to participate in a job interview or how to write a CV. These are skills that people can leave prison with, to make sure that we can continue to have that low reoffending rate, and not just a low reoffending rate but the lowest in the nation.

Mr BATTY: What does the department project the prison population to be in five years' time?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: It is rather a hard thing to predict prison numbers. As I said earlier, they will rise and fall. That is why we are investing in prison beds at this very point in time and having a lot that will be coming online to be able to support our prison system. It is really important that we do make those investments, not only in prison bed numbers but also in the programs that help support them. If we are having more people in our prison system in the sense of entering, we also need to be investing in that prison system. That is exactly what we are doing with those new beds that are coming online.

Mr BATTY: With respect, we just heard from Mr Brown that the department has, I think in his words, relatively robust projections for prison capacity. I am just asking what they are, whether you know what they are, minister, over the pretty short to medium term?

The CHAIR: Which budget line are you referring to?

Mr BATTY: This is Budget Paper 5, page 18, expanding prison capacity.

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: In the current budget, we are expanding the prison capacity. We are expanding it to have 116 extra beds, as you would have heard already. That is what we have invested in in this budget.

Mr BATTY: Over the forward estimates then: what will prison capacity be at the end of the forward estimates?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: In the budget line?

Mr BATTY: In the system. How many prison beds will we have in 2028-29?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: Which budget line are you referring to?

Mr BATTY: Budget Paper 5, page 18, expanding prison capacity, or if you do not know the answer we can go to Budget Paper 4, Volume 1 and Program 2: Custodial Services, page 108. I would have thought somewhere over those forward estimates is money for prison beds.

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: I think I have made it pretty clear there is money for prison beds, that we are investing in record numbers of prison beds. I think I have repeated quite a number of times in your questioning today the fact that since being elected we have invested in or opened over 700 beds in our system. That is a record number of investments in bed capacity and one that we have been able to achieve in a relatively short period of time to ensure that we have beds coming online but also beds that are being invested in for the future.

Mr BATTY: What will prison capacity be in one year's time?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: As I have highlighted already, it is very hard to predict prison numbers. It depends on, I guess, what is happening in the community at that time as well. We know that we have quite a number of beds coming online which will be able to support prison growth, which we believe would be around 3,663.

Mr BATTY: Those are beds—that is capacity.

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: Yes.

Mr BATTY: And you do not have figure for future years? That is all I was asking earlier.

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: I have been able to provide a figure for next year to be able to accommodate the beds that we have announced. That is why we have been able to provide a figure for you in regard to why we are investing in those numbers. We have 116 beds that will be coming online. We are also investing quite broadly in bed numbers in the sense that we have, as I have highlighted, 700 beds either opened or invested in since we have been elected.

Mr BATTY: So in one year's time we will have capacity of 3,663 beds. What does the department project will be the prisoner population in one year's time?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: It is much easier to understand what bed numbers are invested in and what has been made available. I guess estimating numbers of who is going to be in prison is a lot harder. That is why we are investing in these prison numbers so that we know that we can have capacity. We are investing heavily in this space—record amounts—so that we can make sure that we have the—

Mr BATTY: I understand investment, minister.

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: —prison system that is capable, and also investing in the programs that go with them as well.

Mr BATTY: Again, with respect, I thought we just heard earlier that the department had robust ways of projecting prison population. I also think the department might have given this evidence to the Budget and Finance Committee before. I am not trying to be tricky. Is it a number you genuinely do not have, or you just do not want to tell me?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: On page 110, in regard to the daily average prisoner population, that number is highlighted in the budget paper: it is 3,426 projected.

Mr BATTY: Why did the government choose to not proceed with building a new rehabilitation prison?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: I do not know which budget line that refers to. If you could highlight which budget paper page and line that is from.

Mr BATTY: Budget Paper 4, page 108, custodial services: is the government—

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: This is not question time, so if you could just refer to a budget line and page number.

Mr BATTY: As I have just done.

The CHAIR: Is it a budget line?

Mr BATTY: Yes, it is, sir. On page 108 there is a budget line on custodial services. My question is: are you going to build a new rehabilitation prison? Is that included in here?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: In regard to investing in a system, I think we have made it pretty clear that we have. If we are going to talk about the budget papers that are in front of us, that is what we have been able to achieve by investing in 116 beds across our system. I know you might be getting tired of hearing about this, but it is a connected prison system. Enabling us to spread out those beds and not necessarily have them all on one site sometimes does create flexibility, because we do not have everyone in high security, we do not have everyone in low security, and we do not have everyone in medium security. It is a connected system, and having the ability to spread those beds out where required enables us to continue to know where best to put people in that system.

Mr BATTY: Did the department recommend proceeding with a new rehabilitation prison?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: I know you want to keep continuing on with what seems like question time, but if you could refer to the budget line that you are suggesting this is coming from.

Mr BATTY: It is the same budget line, minister. It is custodial services, and these are fairly simple questions.

The CHAIR: You are asking something that is very specific. Clearly, a rehabilitation centre is not flagged in this budget and, as the minister has indicated, you are at liberty to ask these questions in other forums.

Mr BATTY: But, Chair, my question is: why is it not included in this budget line? It is interrogating—

The CHAIR: You can ask about all sorts of things that are not included in a budget line.

Mr WHETSTONE: If he provides a budget line it is a fair question

The CHAIR: No, he has not provided a budget line in relation to this. I would suggest that there is limited time, so I would advise that you move on.

Mr BATTY: I will take your advice, Chair. I will move back to Budget Paper 5, page 19. There is a budget line titled 'Prison security enhancements'. This is to reduce contraband entering prisons. There was a reference to drug-filled tennis balls going over prison fences. On how many occasions have drug-filled tennis balls landed in the Adelaide Women's Prison over the last 12 months?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: I do not have those numbers available. My understanding is that we have invested in this because we want to have the opportunity to not only be able to keep our prisoners safe but, most importantly, our employees safe as well. That is why having the ability to invest in multiple security options is important. We have seen across our prisons, particularly the Women's Prison where we have been able to invest in body scanners already, the significant changes that can come about from those.

Obviously, a strip search does not sound appealing to anybody, and that is why we have invested in those body scanners at the Women's Prison, where people do not have to remove their clothing to be able to see that they are carrying contraband, illegal products or products that just should not be coming into a prison system.

Having these investments in our security system is an important part of the budget measures that have come out of this paper. They will provide opportunities for us to not only build on our security systems but come up with new forms as well—as we hope to with the Women's Prison, where you have suggested that maybe tennis balls are coming over the perimeter fence. It is about putting up new options there as well. I do not know if we have used them before, but we are looking at new options such as netting there as well—no, not in Australia apparently—as an option to provide better security measures at the Women's Prison.

It is not necessarily that what works at one will work at another, but this will enable us to have a bit of—my favourite word for the day—flexibility in what we do to better support the security measures at each of these prisons.

Mr BATTY: How long will it take to see these measures in place at the Women's Prison, a higher fence or netting or whatever it is going to be?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: Our aim is to be able to achieve this in the 2025-26 financial year. The Women's Prison is a unique prison in the sense of the body scanner used there. I am sure these measures will also be appreciated not only by the community but also by the staff who work there in making sure it is a safer workspace as well.

The CHAIR: The time allotted having expired, I declare the examination of the proposed payments for the Department for Correctional Services complete.

Mr BATTY: I will read out the omnibus questions:

1. For each department and agency reporting to the minister, how many executive appointments have been made since 1 July 2024 and what is the annual salary and total employment cost for each position?

2. For each department and agency reporting to the minister, how many executive positions have been abolished since 1 July 2024 and what was the annual salary and total employment cost for each position?

3. For each department and agency reporting to the minister, what has been the total cost of executive position terminations since 1 July 2024?

4. For each department and agency reporting to the minister, will the minister provide a breakdown of expenditure on consultants and contractors with a total estimated cost above $10,000 engaged since 1 July 2024, listing the name of the consultant, contractor or service supplier, the method of appointment, the reason for the engagement and the estimated total cost of the work?

5. For each department and agency reporting to the minister, will the minister provide an estimate of the total cost to be incurred in 2025-26 for consultants and contractors, and for each case in which a consultant or contractor has already been engaged at a total estimated cost above $10,000, the name of the consultant or contractor, the method of appointment, the reason for the engagement and the total estimated cost?

6. For each department or agency reporting to the minister, how many surplus employees are there in June 2025, and for each surplus employee, what is the title or classification of the position and the total annual employment cost?

7. For each department and agency reporting to the minister, what is the number of executive staff to be cut to meet the government's commitment to reduce spending on the employment of executive staff and, for each position to be cut, its classification, total remuneration cost and the date by which the position will be cut?

8. For each department and agency reporting to the minister, what savings targets have been set for 2025-26 and each year of the forward estimates, and what is the estimated FTE impact of these measures?

9. For each department and agency reporting to the minister:

(a) What was the actual FTE count at June 2025 and what is the projected actual FTE account for the end of each year of the forward estimates?

(b) What is the budgeted total employment cost for each year of the forward estimates?

(c) How many targeted voluntary separation packages are estimated to be required to meet budget targets over the forward estimates and what is their estimated cost?

10. For each department and agency reporting to the minister, how much is budgeted to be spent on goods and services for 2025-26 and for each year of the forward estimates?

11. For each department and agency reporting to the minister, how many FTEs are budgeted to provide communication and promotion activities in 2025-26 and each year of the forward estimates and what is their estimated employment cost?

12. For each department and agency reporting to the minister, what is the total budgeted cost of government-paid advertising, including campaigns, across all mediums in 2025-26?

13. For each department and agency reporting to the minister, please provide for each individual investing expenditure project administered, the name, total estimated expenditure, actual expenditure incurred to June 2024 and budgeted expenditure for 2025-26, 2026-27 and 2027-28.

14. For each grant program or fund the minister is responsible for, please provide the following information for the 2025-26, 2026-27 and 2027-28 financial years:

(a) Name of the program or fund;

(b) The purpose of the program or fund;

(c) Budgeted payments into the program or fund;

(d) Budgeted expenditure from the program or fund; and

(e) Details, including the value and beneficiary, or any commitments already made to be funded from the program or fund.

15. For each department and agency reporting to the minister:

(a) Is the agency confident that you will meet your expenditure targets in 2025-26? Have any budget decisions been made between the delivery of the budget on 5 June 2025 and today that might impact on the numbers presented in the budget papers which we are examining today?

(b) Are you expecting any reallocations across your agencies' budget lines during 2025-26; if so, what is the nature of the reallocation?

16. For each department and agency reporting to the minister:

(a) What South Australian businesses will be used in procurement for your agencies in 2025-26?

(b) What percentage of total procurement spend for your agencies does this represent?

(c) How does this compare to last year?

17. What percentage of your department's budget has been allocated for the management of remote work infrastructure, including digital tools, cybersecurity, and support services, and how does this compare with previous years?

18. How many procurements have been undertaken by the department this FY. How many have been awarded to interstate businesses? How many of those were signed off by the CE?

19. How many contractor invoices were paid by the department directly this FY? How many and what percentage were paid within 15 days, and how many and what percentage were paid outside of 15 days?

20. How many and what percentage of staff who undertake procurement activities have undertaken training on participation policies and local industry participants this FY?

The CHAIR: Thank you, member for Bragg. I would like to announce that the former member for Mount Gambier's record is safe for another year, so you will have to practise in the intervening year, or potentially we will have to practise in the intervening year. Who knows? We will see in March.


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