1969. Hon Alison Xamon to the minister representing the Minister for Emergency Services; Corrective Services:
I refer to the Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services 2018 Inspection of the Wooroloo Prison Farm, and I ask:
(a) does the Aboriginal Visitors Scheme (AVS) currently visit the prison;
(b) if no, why not;
(c) if yes to (a), how many times has an AVS visit occurred in 2019 to date;
(d) are there any prisons in Western Australia that the AVS does not currently regularly visit; and
(e) if yes to (d), why does the AVS not visit these prisons?
Hon Stephen Dawson replied:
(a) Yes, there is an AVS Elder currently rostered to Wooroloo Prison Farm one day a week and a full-time Aboriginal Prison Support Officer located in the prison. The AVS 1800 number is also available to prisoners at any time.
(b) Not applicable.
(c) The service recently resumed in the last two months, at one day per week with 6 visits this year.
(d) No. AVS supports all prisons and any vacancies are actively recruited to. All prisons in WA are also supported by an Aboriginal Prison Support Officer who work full-time and provide the same support as AVS, but it is available to all prisoners.
(e) Not applicable.