Ms MARYANNE STUART (Heathcote) (11:55): My question is addressed to the Minister for Corrections. Will the Minister update the House on how the upcoming budget will help to build a safer New South Wales?
Mr ANOULACK CHANTHIVONG (Macquarie Fields—Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading, Minister for Industry and Trade, Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology, Minister for Building, and Minister for Corrections) (11:56): I thank the member for Heathcote for her question and her interest in this very important topic. Community safety is a top priority for the Minns Labor Government. I am proud to report to the House that we are investing half a billion dollars to better support victim-survivors and keep more offenders off our streets. This year's budget will pledge $500 million to ensure the State criminal justice system has more lawyers to prosecute criminals, more resources to support the historic numbers of people in remand and more specialists in our courthouses to prevent domestic violence victims from coming face to face with their attackers.
As my colleagues have detailed this week, we are providing record support to victim-survivors of domestic, family and sexual violence in New South Wales. We are putting more accused offenders behind bars to keep our community safe. The Government has committed over $100 million to address rising demand in the correctional system. A record number of alleged offenders are being refused bail as a result of our tough bail law reforms. We make no apologies for this. This funding will ensure that our prisons are adequately resourced to supervise offenders and support their rehabilitation and reintegration. This is in line with community expectations.
We are investing $2.3 million to implement our recent changes to New South Wales victims registers. Under the reforms passed last week, eligible victims of serious offences will receive a mandatory notification to let them know about the registers. Eligible victims can opt in to receive important and valuable information and support, including information about an offender's sentencing and, where relevant, the right to have a say in parole hearings. We have listened to victim-survivors and responded to their calls to improve the system.
However, these announcements are neither the start nor the end of the Government's plan to build a safer New South Wales for our community. Enhancing safety also means bringing key public services back into public hands. We brought Junee Correctional Centre into the public correctional system in April this year. Frontline staff will now have better pay and conditions. They have been integrated into the broader prison network, which offers a wider range of development opportunities. This ensures improved outcomes for inmates and our community. We are doing away with the profit motive of private ownership in the correctional system and restoring a focus on rehabilitation, reduced reoffending and safer integration. [Extension of time]
Junee's milestone transition will provide us with an important blueprint for the return of Parklea Correctional Centre to the public sector next year. The transition is another decisive decision by the Government, as we continue to deliver change to our prison system to best protect and deliver better value for the New South Wales taxpayer.
The Government is making significant inroads to implement the 31 recommendations of the Special Commission of Inquiry into offending by former Corrections Officer Wayne Astill at Dillwynia Correctional Centre. Backed by $30 million in funding, we have implemented significant changes to deliver a more accountable and transparent corrections system to restore confidence in prisons, which are so critical to keep the people of New South Wales safe. We set up Corrective Services as a standalone agency, which will improve its oversight and lift standards. We appointed a new commissioner, Mr Gary McCahon, who brings extensive experience and skills that will be required to lead wideranging reforms across the prison system. We passed the Crimes (Administration of Sentences) Amendment Bill 2024, which prohibits sexual conduct and intimate relationships between prison staff and inmates.
There is more to come. There is no shying away from the need to improve the justice system for victim‑survivors. We know we can always do better. We are listening to victim-survivors and advocates who are calling for change. We are ensuring that we learn from victims' experiences to provide appropriate, effective support as they navigate one of the most difficult periods of their lives. The upcoming budget will ensure the system has the resources needed to empower victim-survivors. It will keep people who should be off the streets behind bars for the benefit and safety of the people of New South Wales. It is an important step in the Minns Labor Government's plan to build a safer New South Wales.
