Thursday, 3 April 2025

Corrections system

David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (12:04): (886) My question is also to the Minister for Corrections. Minister, how many beds across Victoria’s corrections system are unavailable today due to black mould?

Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice) (12:04): None, Mr Davis.

David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (12:04): ‘None’ is the answer you that you are giving – none today, right? But the pictures seem to me to be very clear. All right. How much will the botched prison expansion projects cost Victorian taxpayers?

The PRESIDENT: I thought I was pretty generous in not questioning whether the supplementary to your first substantive question was supplementary to the question and the answer. I am struggling with this one as well. I will ask the minister to pick an answer as he sees fit.

Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice) (12:05): I thank Mr Davis. I think, Mr Davis, it is important to understand that the beds you refer to are not commission beds; they are not part of our system capacity. We have ample capacity in our system, and we are scaling up to meet the expected increase in demand as a result of our tough new bail laws.

What I will say is that as a government, in relation to these matters, you are referring to the prison infill program, Mr Davis – and thanks for clarifying that in your supplementary. Our prison infill program is an important program. It is about modernising some of our facilities, and it has been very successful at Middleton and Marngoneet. But at a couple of these projects they are in an unacceptable state, and the state will protect its position. You have asked about it before here, and I have said I am not going to comment on something that is quite a complex commercial legal matter because I do not want to jeopardise the position of the state. We have capacity in our system, and we can scale up as required.