Wednesday, 15 October 2025

 David LIMBRICK (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (12:07): My question is to the Minister for Corrections. There was much reporting recently about a particular male prisoner that was being held in Dame Phyllis Frost prison, and there was much concern from the public, primarily due to the nature of the crimes that the person was imprisoned for. I also note that recently the Northern Territory have announced changes to their policy in this area. I would like to ask the minister: what is the government’s policy in this area, and what sorts of things is the government considering at the moment regarding this?

 Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice) (12:08): I thank Mr Limbrick for his question and his interest in relation to this matter. I know it is a matter that in the past, in other justice debates, you have raised with me. What I can confirm about decisions about prisoner placements is that we have a women’s system that does recognise gender identity, and women are placed in the women’s system. More broadly, in terms of placement decisions, I will not be commenting on individual decisions – you would appreciate that – and Corrections Victoria will not be commenting on individual placements.

What I can comment on are the broader policies in place, and currently there are a number of policies in place that Corrections Victoria take into account before placing people in custodial facilities, including keeping the community safe and the system safe, supporting rehabilitation and assisting people with reintegration. These are just some of the considerations, amongst many. I do note that there are some community concerns about the current balance. There is always a balance in justice. There is a balance of what is best for the individual prisoner plus what is best for the safety and wellbeing of other prisoners in the system, especially in the women’s system. We know that it is not unusual for many women that enter our custodial facilities to have histories as victims of sexual violence and other forms of violence. I do expect Corrections Victoria to make these decisions very carefully, but as I have said previously, I will not be interfering in that decision-making because Corrections Victoria implement the policies that we do set. I can confirm that I have asked Corrections Victoria to update their policies to ensure that the safety and wellbeing of the wider women’s prison population is a stronger consideration in placements. That also means a stronger consideration of the nature of the past offending. I think that is a relevant consideration, and it should be given greater weight in these decisions. The policy will be updated. That work is underway, and I will have an update shortly.

 David LIMBRICK (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (12:10): I thank the minister for that answer. It sounds like these policies are currently being reviewed, from what the minister said. When do you expect that they would be finalised, and are those policies things that would normally be published?

 Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice) (12:10): These are usually policies that Corrections Victoria look at; they are internal policies for Corrections Victoria. That work is being done shortly. When I say shortly, I am talking about a matter of weeks, not months or years, so in the next few weeks I will have an update. As a minister responsible for seeing that policies meet community expectations, there are operational decisions, so I will not be talking about individual prisoners. But I think when the policies are updated, they should be reflected in the system.