A full record of Mark's Speeches are available at www.parliament.qld.gov.au
A full record of Mark's Speeches are available at www.parliament.qld.gov.au
Make no mistake, if you commit the crime you will do the time. The stark reality is that at some point in time the majority of prisoners will eventually return to the community. That is why the reforms announced today by the Premier are so important. They are a watershed moment for Queenslanders. They are designed to boost community safety, break the cycle of reoffending, reduce crime and make a real difference to people’s lives.
This is a very important matter following a grave tragedy. It is an important matter that we should all listen to.
These reforms are a watershed moment for Queenslanders. I have this morning asked Queensland Corrective Services to begin the immediate recruitment of more staff to manage the raft of new programs we will introduce to strengthen the rehabilitation of prisoners. The Sofronoff review was unequivocal: the most effective way to secure the safety of our community is to reduce reoffending and that means rehabilitation.
Under the sweeping reforms to be implemented by the Palaszczuk government, we will employ an additional 329 staff to ensure the robust end-to-end case management of each prisoner seeking parole. We will increase the number and diversity of rehabilitation programs, including drug and alcohol strategies and education courses, both inside prison and out in the community. We have also begun consultation with Queensland Health to increase vital mental health and drug treatment services.
Make no mistake, though, there will be nothing cushy or frivolous about these programs or services. They are designed for one purpose and one purpose only—to safeguard Queensland communities by ensuring the crucial reintegration of rehabilitated prisoners back into the community.
When they front the new Queensland Parole Board those prisoners will have to prove that they are fit for re-entry into society. That will require the completion of a carefully formatted plan targeted at the specific issues that make these prisoners a risk to the community.
It will not end there. The community can rest assured we will continue to provide support and supervision when these offenders leave jail. By capitalising on previous programs funded by the Palaszczuk government to expand and modernise GPS technology, we will ensure offenders are better monitored in the community and that curfews and strict conditions can be imposed.
Almost a half of the adult prisoners released from prison in Queensland during 2013-14 had returned to prison within two years. Queensland’s result, whilst better than the national average, is still not good enough. That is why it is so important to invest in a robust probation and parole system because it boosts community safety and is designed to break the cycle of reoffending and make a real difference in people’s lives. We now have a groundbreaking and powerful plan to make our streets safer by breaking the cycle of reoffending and that plan starts today.
In closing, I would like to pay tribute to Mr Peter McInnes, the current president of the Queensland Parole Board, for his decade of dedication to probation and parole. I visited Peter and his wife, Robyn, this morning and outlined the key reforms to them. I have to say that it brought a smile to their faces.
I also pay tribute to all our hardworking probation board members, probation and parole officers across our state and our custodial officers. They work every single day to keep our community safe and we owe them a debt of gratitude.