Port Phillip Prison
David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (12:40): (635) My question is to the Minister for Corrections. It has recently been reported that G4S, the operator of Port Phillip Prison, is considering legal action after you tore up their contract only seven years into a 20-year arrangement. Given, Minister, publicly available contract information shows that G4S may be entitled to a termination payment, is this yet another example of Labor’s inability to manage money?
Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice, Minister for Victim Support) (12:41): I thank Mr Davis for his question and his interest in our adult corrections system. I am very proud that as a government we have made significant investments into our corrections system and that we are making the best use of our best facilities. In relation to your specific question, I was very clear on 26 June when I announced the reconfiguration and modernisation of our corrections system that we are exercising our legal rights within the terms of that contract. You do understand that the department and Corrections Victoria are working very closely with G4S to plan for the closure of Port Phillip Prison and make sure of the safe transfer or decanting of the prisoners at that facility to some of our other facilities across the state, but members will also understand that many of these discussions have legal privilege and commercial sensitivities around them. I would not want to compromise our state’s position, and so I do not intend to run a public commentary on it.
David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (12:42): My supplementary is, given that response: according to the Auditor-General, Port Phillip Prison has maintained a 20 per cent lower per-prisoner cost than public prisons. Therefore I ask: has the minister sought or received any advice on how much more housing these prisoners in public prisons will cost following the closure?
Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice, Minister for Victim Support) (12:42): I thank Mr Davis for his supplementary question. Let us be very clear: we are making these changes in a fiscally responsible way. I appeared at PAEC – and Mr McGowan was there and Mrs McArthur. We have a budget of over $1.5 billion in our corrections system, and the changes will be within that budget process. I want to thank all the staff that work in our corrections system. We are doing that planning. We will be working collaboratively with G4S to make sure that transition is as smooth as possible, that there is continuity of care and that everyone is kept safe in that transfer.
Members interjecting.
Enver ERDOGAN: We have a $1.5 billion budget. It is all reported in the papers.