Thursday, 20 February 2025

 Gaelle BROAD (Northern Victoria) (10:01): Part of the state government’s responsibilities is to manage prisons as part of our justice system, and I am very grateful for the opportunity that I had last week to visit three prisons – Loddon and Middleton men’s prisons and the Tarrengower women’s prison. They were very different to what I expected. Accommodation varied from a very basic and tight two-person cell to an independent house block. Some are fortunate enough to have their own place with a veggie patch out the front. We also met six men living in a small apartment, each with their own room. At these medium- to low-security prisons there were basketball and tennis courts, outdoor gyms and maintained lawns and gardens looked after by the prisoners. We toured powder-coating facilities, a printing press and food-packaging operations giving those in the prison the chance to learn and expand their skills to help with their rehabilitation. We met numerous staff who had worked in the prisons for over 20 years, some over 30 years, and their faces lit up when they talked about the lives that they had seen changed. I believe in doing what we can to support people to prevent crime and keep them out of prison, but I also believe in keeping the community safe and making sure that people who do the wrong thing and repeatedly make poor choices face the appropriate consequences. I want to thank all those who work in our prisons, and there are many across different roles. Thank you for your work, and thank you for doing what you can to ensure that people on the inside can make the most of it when they get a second chance at life on the outside.