BANKSIA
HILL DETENTION CENTRE — FOUR
CORNERS REPORT
684. Ms M.J. DAVIES to the Premier:
I have a supplementary question. Is the Premier ruling out an
open and transparent independent inquiry in favour of private meetings behind
closed doors with government?
Mr M. McGOWAN
replied:
I am not going to have another talkfest. The Leader of the
Opposition's solution is more talkfests and spending millions of
dollars or whatever it might be on royal commissions. That does not solve
anything. We actually have a facility that has the right programs in place, and
we are spending $25 million on it.
Ms M.J. Davies: They are working so well!
Mr M. McGOWAN: Does the Leader of the Opposition want
to know what her government did when she was in office? The government moved 70
—
An opposition member interjected.
The SPEAKER: Order, please!
Mr M. McGOWAN: Because the Leader of the Opposition's
approach is so hypocritical, I will point it out. When the Leader of the
Opposition was a minister and her government was in office, the government
moved 70 detainees from Banksia to Hakea Prison. That is what the former
department did.
Ms M.J. Davies: Did you agree with it then?
Mr M. McGOWAN: We understood that it was required in
the circumstances because the people involved had destroyed their cells and
their accommodation at Banksia. That is what the former government did back
when the Leader of the Opposition was in office. That was required because
there were no other options because the former government closed Rangeview
Remand Centre in 2010.
Ms M.J. Davies: You have been in government for six
years and people are telling you it's broken.
The SPEAKER: Order, please!
Mr M. McGOWAN: I am trying to explain a bit of history
to the Leader of the Opposition. I have not raised this before and attacked
her. We did not attack the then government, because it was obvious that the
government had to manage a system. What did the government do in 2013? It moved
70 detainees into Hakea Prison for six months because the —
Dr D.J. Honey interjected.
Mr M. McGOWAN: Honestly! The reality is that I am not up for
more talkfests or royal commissions and spending millions of dollars on
those sorts of things. I am up for doing two things: one is having a centre
that provides the rehabilitation services and attention and care for detainees
when they need it; and the second, just as importantly, is protecting the
public.