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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2008-09-25 Daily Xml
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PRISONER EDUCATION

The Hon. S.G. WADE (14:35): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Correctional Services a question about prisoner education.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: In the last year of the former Liberal government, under minister Brokenshire, 58 per cent of education and vocational enrolments were successfully completed. Each year since, the Labor government has budgeted for an increase in the completion rate from the year before. In fact, in every year it has fallen. The cumulative fall in the completion of education and vocational enrolments is now 15 per cent. The completion rate has fallen from 58 per cent to 43 per cent. In spite of the Rann government's persistent failure to deliver results, the budget papers continue to set a 60 per cent completion rate as the outcome target. My questions to the minister are:

1. If the government is serious about its 60 per cent completion rate target, what is the government doing to reverse the persistent decline in educational and vocational employment outcomes under this government?

2. Will the minister assure the council that the department's educational and vocational programs will be maintained and that no program will lose funding or have its budgeted outcomes reduced?

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO (Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Road Safety, Minister for Gambling, Minister Assisting the Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (14:37): I thank the honourable member for his question. As one would expect, prisoner education is an important part of the rehabilitation process in our prisons, and our prisoners in South Australia's prisons have access to a range of educational opportunities. The target set for 2008-09 is the same as for 2007-08, consistent with the department's ongoing commitment to education. Some would be aware that surveys have shown that approximately 75 per cent of all prisoners have not completed year 10 at the secondary level, 40 per cent have not completed primary school and around 25 per cent have such low levels of literacy that they can do little more than read and write their name and address.

Prisoner education targets those who are illiterate and have learning difficulties. In addition, the prisoner education program provides prisoners who have successfully completed primary school with assistance to complete high school and tertiary studies. The department also offers 16 prisoner vocational programs that provide skills. Prisoners will need to pursue a career upon release. Among these courses are painting and decorating, building and construction, horticulture, commercial cooking, welding, dairy farming, industrial sewing, bread making, brick laying and paving. I am sure the honourable member and others in this chamber, during their visits to our prisons, have witnessed some of those programs taking place.

The Department for Correctional Services is a registered training organisation and trades as the Vocational Training and Education Centre of South Australia. Our target for this financial year is the same as for last financial year, recognising the realities we face.

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