Thursday, 2 November 2023

 Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice, Minister for Victim Support) (12:31): I rise today to update the house on the newly refurbished Lonarch unit at Langi Kal Kal Prison, which I had the pleasure of officially opening last month. Langi Kal Kal is an Indigenous name that means ‘the resting place of the singing cicada’, which is a beautiful sentiment. The refurbished Lonarch unit will provide better support for people in custody who are ageing, have limited mobility or have declining cognitive function. This purpose-built 26-bed facility has been vastly improved, in terms of facilities for both people accommodated there but also our hardworking corrections staff. While we have reduced the number of people in custody across the state, we know there is a larger cohort of people in custody that are ageing, have a cognitive disability or have other challenging health needs.

I am particularly pleased that the refurbishment of Lonarch unit has also supported another important objective of the corrections system: providing people with employment skills so they can have the best possible chance to turn their lives around upon release. I have spoken in this chamber before about the centre of excellence and the work we are doing in partnership with the TAFE sector. The refurbishment of the Lonarch unit is a great example of putting this all into practice. Over 1500 hours of construction works was completed by those in custody, providing them with important skills in areas such as plastering, carpentry, working at height, concreting, welding, painting and various other skills that have a practical application in our broader society.

The refurbishment of the Lonarch unit is just one example of the evolution of our corrections system to provide the best services and facilities that we can for the changing demographics of our custodial population and give them the best chance to turn their lives around.