The Hodgman Liberal Government is committed to openness and accountability across Government services, and I am very pleased that legislation to establish an independent Custodial Inspector for Tasmania’s prison system has today passed both houses of Parliament.
The establishment of a Custodial Inspector fulfils a key recommendation of the Palmer Report on the Risdon Prison Complex, and will deliver external scrutiny of Tasmania’s prisons and the Ashley Youth Detention Centre.
The Government allocated funding of $575,000 to establish this important position within the office of the Ombudsman as part of the 2016-17 Budget.
The Custodial Inspector will facilitate continuous improvement in the way that prison and detention centre services are delivered, deliver increased transparency and accountability through the provision of reports and recommendations, and allow the development of expertise within Tasmania in relation to prisons and prison reform.
It has taken a majority Liberal Government to progress real
action on establishing this important position, and we look forward to
initiating the recruitment process as work continues toward the establishment
of the positions.