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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-02-06 Daily Xml
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Prison Complaints

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (15:14): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking questions of the Minister for Emergency Services and Correctional Services.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD: The Ombudsman has reported that out of the some 4,634 complaints that their office received in the year 2023-24, an unexpectedly large number of 609 of those pertained to correctional services. Prison complaints comprised the vast majority of the concerns raised with one of the reports alleging, extraordinarily, that a correctional services officer used a prison intercom to attempt to counsel an inmate to commit suicide. This was actually later verified. My questions to the minister are:

1. Does the minister consider the number of complaints made concerning South Australia's correctional services to be unacceptable?

2. What are the specific nature of the complaints against our state's correctional services, and what action is she taking in order to prevent the already high numbers from escalating even further?

3. What specific action has been taken against the officer who counselled an inmate over the intercom to commit suicide?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (Minister for Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Minister for Autism, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (15:15): I thank the honourable member for his question. I am aware of the report and the allegations that have been made around the correctional services officer and how they made inappropriate use of the prison intercom system.

I am advised that the Department for Correctional Services was, at the time, conducting its own internal investigations, and I am further advised that the investigations found that the allegations were sustained and that findings of misconduct were made. I have also been advised that the employee resigned during the course of this investigation.

In respect of the Ombudsman's findings, I am advised that she was satisfied with the department's actions and that they were taken appropriately.

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