Thursday, 11 September 2025

Ministers statements: independent prison visitor scheme

Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice) (12:38): I recently had the opportunity to attend our annual independent prison visitor scheme event and acknowledge the hard work of our dedicated volunteers. Under this scheme, volunteers visit our prisons and meet with people in custody, staff and visitors to survey a range of prison functions. Following each visit, they provide reports on the standards inside prison and whether these are reasonably meeting community expectations. It was wonderful to be able to thank them directly and celebrate their achievements over the last 12 months. Independent prison visitors provide another source of important feedback on prison conditions on the ground, enabling officials to identify and fix issues as they arise and continually improve conditions for both staff and prisoners alike. It is one of the many ways that prison staff and authorities can monitor the frontline experience of our prisons. The scheme plays an important part in our independent oversight of prisons, providing regular reports to me as the minister and the Corrections Victoria leadership about any emerging issues, as well as the good work that is happening behind the four walls.

Volunteers are experienced and knowledgeable, with professional backgrounds in a range of sectors, including education, health, environment, professional services and community services, and the scheme is getting bigger and better. Following a recruitment drive the scheme now boasts 38 volunteers, including six from Aboriginal backgrounds, who visit prisons right across our state. We are aiming to build on our Aboriginal volunteer base by embarking on a new recruitment drive to increase the number of Aboriginal volunteers, because this government understands and recognises that Aboriginal perspectives are integral to a culturally safe service delivery system. Independent prison visitors are an asset to our corrections system and bring a wealth of experience and support, while juggling all the demands of their busy schedules. To all our volunteers, thank you for your hard work in improving Victoria’s corrections system. It certainly does not go unnoticed.