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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-09-03 Daily Xml
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Prison Communication

The Hon. F. PANGALLO (15:20): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Emergency Services and Correctional Services on the topic of prison communication.

Leave granted.

The Hon. F. PANGALLO:The Advertiser, on 17 July 2025, reported that domestic violence perpetrators are exploiting prison communication loopholes to coerce victims, yet this government has failed to enforce safeguards, allowing repeated breaches of intervention orders. To quote:

Henry Shepherdson was able to phone his then-partner 149 times from prison to pressure her into dropping charges.

That's 149 failures to intervene, 149 times the system failed to protect a mother and her child. My questions to the minister are:

1. How does the minister justify ongoing breaches of intervention orders by violent offenders using prison phones, mail and third parties to coerce victims?

2. Why hasn't this loophole been closed?

3. What does the minister say to the mother of baby Kobi, who was coerced into dropping charges, then only for her child to die?

4. What has been done to stop perpetrators from contacting victims from behind bars?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (Minister for Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Minister for Autism, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (15:22): I thank the member for his question. The department works closely with organisations like SAPOL, and also obviously Embolden, which you have mentioned today. These groups provide a great advocacy for victims of domestic and family violence. That is also why the department works closely with SAPOL and the courts in relation to exchanging information about intervention orders.

When offenders and alleged offenders come into the custody of DCS, we use a series of mechanisms, as I am advised, to identify them with warning flags and take steps to block them from contacting victims through telephone visits and mail contact as well. I am advised also that the department and SAPOL have committed to collaborating to ensure DCS can block prisoners from contacting protected persons from within custody, in breach of intervention orders, which carry significant additional penalties as well.

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