Thursday, 18 June 2026

 Rachel PAYNE (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (12:54): (2411) My constituency question is for the Minister for Corrections. My constituent from Rowville was recently paroled from Dame Phyllis Frost Centre. She has kept a record of lockdowns at the centre from 2024 to 2025. According to this record, one unit was locked down on 21 separate occasions in July of last year. My constituent reports missing important appointments and family phone calls due to these lockdowns and described conditions as a prison within a prison. These descriptions do not end at the prison gate. Many women released from Dame Phyllis Frost Centre return to communities across the south-east where access to health care, housing and family support are critical to successful reintegration and reducing recidivism. So my constituent asks: beyond staff recruitment, what specific measures will the government implement to reduce lockdowns at Dame Phyllis Frost Centre and ensure prisoners can access medical, housing and rehabilitation services in the south-east?