Media release – Elise Archer, Attorney-General and Minister for Corrections, 20 August 2020
Labor’s staggering hypocrisy on corrections and remission
The safety and security, health and wellbeing of Tasmania Prison Service (TPS) staff, inmates and visitors continues to be a high priority for the Tasmanian Liberal Government.
Let’s not forget that Labor’s record when it comes to corrections is atrocious.
They left the prison system in tatters. Labor under-funded and under-staffed the TPS and they failed to promise one additional correctional officer at the last election, failed to adequately invest in prison infrastructure, and were responsible for shutting down the Hayes Prison Facility. Labor and the Greens also opposed our Governments’ Mandatory Sentencing Bill, which delivers guaranteed jail time for those who seriously assault our frontline workers, including Correctional Officers.
In an act of staggering hypocrisy, the Labor spokesperson Ella Haddad today questioned the Government’s position on remissions after Ms Haddad and Labor leader Rebecca White voted against this important reform in the House of Assembly.*
Unlike Labor, we are addressing the issues facing Tasmania’s corrections system and finding long term solutions to fix the mess left by Labor. Since coming to Government we have continued to strengthen correctional resources, and by the end of the year we will have recruited an additional 200 correctional officers since May 2016.
And if that wasn’t hypocritical enough, Labor yesterday opposed our motion supporting the Northern Regional Prison, which will not only improve outcomes for staff, prisoners and their families, but also create more than 1000 jobs and inject around $500 million into the northern regional economy, at a time when Tasmanians need it most.
We make no apology for being tough on crime, and we are doing everything we can to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all our hardworking TPS staff, inmates and visitors to the State’s correctional facilities, while providing vital opportunities for inmate rehabilitation and reintegration.
Labor is consistently inconsistent and that is one thing the Tasmanian community is guaranteed.
*During the debate on 18 September 2018, Ms White stated “we believe remission is an important tool that should continue to be made available to custodial officers, so they can manage the behaviour of the prison population.”
Media release – Ella Haddad, Shadow Minister for Corrections, 20 August 2020
Archer’s inaction: corrections system on the brink of collapse
The government’s appalling track record of negligent inaction has led to a corrections system on the brink of collapse.
Shadow Corrections Minister Ella Haddad said Elise Archer has ignored or failed to act on a number of damning reports that demonstrate systemic failure.
“A leaked Custodial Inspector report into Risdon Prison reveals 46% of staff have made workers compensation claims, chronic understaffing, unsafe levels of overtime and several extremely concerning allegations of unlawful treatment of staff.
“The minister has ignored these revelations, in the same way she failed to act on the recommendations of the previous report of the Custodial Inspector.
“The recent Coronial Inquest into the death of North Hobart business owner Voula Delios also points to systemic failures from the minute Daryl Cook entered the prison system to the moment he was released.
“It is clear from the Coroner’s report that Daryl Cook was deeply and dangerously unwell and should never have been let onto the street.
“It is typical of this government’s approach to give the appearance of action, to make promises to people, but never follow through.
“There have been clear warning signs for a long time, and one consequence of ignoring those is that an innocent woman was killed in the most shocking of circumstances.
“Elise Archer and the Liberal government must take responsibility for the results of inaction, and take steps to prevent such a tragedy occurring in future.”
Media release – Elise Archer, Attorney-General, 20 August 2020
Monitoring offenders upon release
The Tasmanian Liberal Government is committed to keeping communities safe and I am pleased that another Bill I have introduced into Parliament today will help to do just that.
The Bill will amend the Corrections Act 1997 to provide express powers for the Parole Board to impose electronic monitoring conditions on a parole order, enabling Community Corrections to more effectively monitor offenders to ensure that they are complying with the conditions of their parole.
Parole continues to be a necessary and effective option to reduce the number of offenders in prison and promote rehabilitation and reintegration, while still ensuring the protection of the community.
Our Government has already completed a number of reforms with the safety and wellbeing of victims and survivors front and centre, including legislation introduced into Parliament earlier this week to establish a new Dangerous Criminals and High Risk Offenders Act.
We are delivering on our election commitment to keep dangerous criminals off the streets and we will continue to work hard to ensure the safety of all Tasmanians.
Media release – Mark Shelton, Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Management, 20 August 2020
Electronic monitoring trial delivers real results in supporting victims of family violence
Victims of family violence have been provided extra safety and comfort through the trial of electronic monitoring as part of the Tasmanian Government’s commitment to keeping Tasmanians safe.
The devices tracked 52 offender’s movements to ensure they did not enter certain areas where the victim resided or worked. Victims could also be provided with a small portable device to prompt early police intervention where there was potential for a breach of a Family Violence Order.
The preliminary results of the trial, which commenced in 2018, show a 70 per cent reduction of assaults, 80 per cent reduction of threats, 89 per cent decrease in allegations of emotional abuse, and 100 per cent decrease in reports of stalking.
The trial also showed a 7 per cent reduction of family violence incidents across the State and an 82 per cent decrease in high-risk family violence incidents.
In addition to providing victims an extra level of comfort, the electronic monitoring also provides evidence in court and in some cases, prevents victims from having to attend court to give evidence.
The whole-of-government project has been delivered with input and support from the Department of Justice, Tasmania Police, and Communities Tasmania as part of the Government’s Safe Homes, Families, Communities action plan for family and sexual violence 2019- 2022.
The Tasmanian Institute of Law Enforcement Studies (TILES) is now undertaking an independent review of the trial, with a final evaluation report due later this year.
Media release – Cassy O’Connor MP | Greens Leader and Human Services spokesperson, 20 August 2020
Jaensch Fails to Rule Out Child Safety Cuts
The Minister for Human Services failed to answer important questions about cuts to Child Safety Services in State Parliament today.
The impact an underfunded child safety system has on those it’s designed to protect are too often tragic and terrible. Next week, a coronial inquest will begin into the circumstances surrounding the deaths of six babies and young children who were known to Child Safety Services.
Since the Liberals came to government, the child protection system in Tasmania has been mismanaged, and at-risk children have suffered the consequences.
Despite many documented failings, there has been a consistent refusal to provide the secure funding needed to keep children safe.
Despite their track record, it seems the Liberals have not learned their lesson. A leaked email to CSS staff identified plans to cut critical support programs in the child safety system.
When asked about these cuts in Parliament today, Minister Jaensch refused to address the question, and instead simply read a script of previously announced funding for programs that were irrelevant to the issue.
This is an unacceptable response for a Minister of the Crown.
The fact is, child protection staff have been told requests for support such as private therapy, mentoring, and independent family assessments may not be met. It also instructs them to ‘manage expectations’ of those in the system about what help they might be able to access.
This is shameful and short-sighted. These services might be ‘high cost’, but they are critical for the safety and wellbeing of Tasmania’s at-risk children.
The Minister must get on top of his portfolio, urgently reverse these saving measures, and instead invest properly in looking after Tasmania’s most vulnerable children.
Media release – Anita Dow, Labor Member for Braddon, 20 August 2020
Archer passes the buck on consultation
Elise Archer has attempted to dodge responsibility for her failure to consult with the community and stakeholders over relocation of the Burnie Court.
Labor Member for Braddon Anita Dow said in Question Time today, Elise Archer was seeking to blame others for her lack of engagement on the issue.
“The redevelopment of the Burnie Court is a significant project for the community but Elise Archer has a record of failing to consult on major projects, and it looks like she’s doing the same thing now.
“The Burnie Mayor found out about the project reading the newspaper, and the minister’s excuse today was to blame the former General Manager for not passing on information.
“There is an immediate need for the government to consult with, and provide more information to, the local community and it’s not yet clear how or when this consultation will take place.
“Labor recognises there is a need to upgrade the Court facilities but the community deserves more information about the Government’s proposal.
“Elise Archer clearly hasn’t learned her lesson from the Westbury prison debacle – she ignored the Westbury community over that project, and her behaviour today suggests she’ll do the same to the people of Burnie.”
