14 December 2018
After the CCC released its Taskforce Flaxton report today, the Greens are calling on Queensland Labor to end private prisons, including the new private Gatton women’s prison.
The CCC has confirmed that the existence of private prisons is among factors that create ‘significant corruption risks’ (page 5).
It also confirmed that ‘public–private model makes developing a positive, corruption-resistant culture difficult’ (page 27) and that the current approach to monitoring ‘appears inadequate to monitor such a high-risk environment’ (page 30).
It found that the Ethical Standards Unit has ‘limited influence in private prisons’ (page 43).
Greens State MP Michael Berkman said:
“Everyone knows privatisation doesn’t work, and the CCC’s report raises yet more red flags.
“Labor must now scrap the Gatton women’s prison, and scrap their $1.6 billion prison expansion plan.
“The best way to stop corruption and mistreatment is to scrap all private prisons, but that’s a decision for Queensland Labor, not the CCC.”
Greens Senator and federal spokesperson for women, Larissa Waters said:
“If they push ahead with the private Gatton women’s prison, Labor will leave some of Queensland’s most marginalised women in the hands of a private multinational.
“Economic security, good healthcare and social services for those at risk of criminalisation is more effective than locking people up.”