Corrections system
Matthew BACH (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (12:16): (92) I am going to have another go to the Minister for Corrections. Minister, during a briefing given to the shadow minister in the other place, staff from your department confirmed that some prison facilities have closed entire wings or units and dispersed the staff elsewhere. Minister, how many prison units have been closed in the last 12 months, and where are they located?
Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice, Minister for Victim Support) (12:17): I thank Dr Bach for his question and interest in our corrections system. This is a question I guess along a similar line to some of the previous questions in terms of the way our corrections system is operating. Obviously –
Georgie Crozier interjected.
Enver ERDOGAN: Yes, it is an important question that talks about the settings in our prison system – the settings that are in place. I think Corrections Victoria works very closely with the staff to make sure that our facilities continue to operate safely and the programs in our system continue to be delivered. In terms of settings in our prison system, it has been quite publicly reported that there have been a number of changes at a few of our medium-security prisons. That was done together in partnership with the CPSU and the workforce there to make those temporary changes needed.
Matthew BACH (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (12:18): By way of supplementary: Minister, can you provide an assurance that vulnerable prisoner cohorts who were previously housed in specialist units, which I suspect have been closed, have not been displaced from closed units into the general prison population?
Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice, Minister for Victim Support) (12:18): I kind of answered that question in my substantive. I said our programs are continuing to be delivered unaffected at those facilities. At a number of medium-security prisons there were adjustments made to rosters in line with the staff and the union to ensure the continued safe operation of those facilities, and the programs and rehabilitation programs continue to be delivered unaffected.