Corrective services—Electronic monitoring
Brief ministerial statement
Dr Tony Buti (Armadale—Attorney General) (1:09 pm): The Cook Labor government's Family Violence Legislation Reform Act is the strongest law of its type in the nation. Western Australians are safer since the legislation was passed than they were before. I want to make this clear. All offenders and accused subject to electronic monitoring in the community, including in our regions, are monitored 24/7 by Western Australian Police Force and Department of Justice staff at the State Operations Command Centre. When there is a breach, such as going close to an exclusion zone, removing the device or failing to charge it, police respond urgently no matter where in the state people live. The laws allow police to arrest without a warrant and lay charges against offenders who breach their requirements. This has not changed.
Across the state we have more than 500 adult community corrections staff employed by the Department of Justice, 148 of whom are based in the regions. This now includes an additional 35 FTE staff who joined in December and January, with a further 12 FTE due to commence in July. These additional positions are funded by a $27.8 million investment, which was provided to implement the act. These staff provide advice to the courts, assess relevant information about individuals being considered for electronic monitoring, fit ankle monitors, monitor for breaches at the State Operations Command Centre and refer to WA Police when required. They also respond when there is a technical error with the equipment, such as charging issues or signal loss. In the Perth metro area, adult community corrections staff respond to technical issues 24/7. In regional WA, the 24/7 response is achieved by WA Police and adult community corrections staff working together. The Department of Justice advises that the number of technical faults requiring this type of response in regional WA has been very low. When technical equipment issues arise that cannot be resolved, the department proactively seeks court intervention. With the right framework of conditions, the department anticipates that such incidents should be limited.
There should be no ambiguity: electronic monitoring is not an alternative to detention. It is an additional condition to enhance community safety. When it cannot be used, offenders and accused will not be paroled or bailed unless the courts can be satisfied that they can be safely managed in the community through other measures. The Commissioner of Corrective Services, Brad Royce, has provided advice to the Chief Magistrate and department staff to ensure clarity on the conditions that magistrates should consider to aid the effectiveness of electronic monitoring. These are new laws and as we continue to implement them, we will continue to monitor the situation to ensure the right resources are in regional centres to maintain a prompt response to any emerging issues.
