No New Women's Prison Campaign 17/11/99:
<News report follows>
For the first time in twenty one years, a comprehensive inquiry will now
convene to examine the NSW prison system. While the inquiry will examine
the entirety of prisons and related criminal justice issues, it will pay
special attention to a women's prison population which has increased by 40%
since March 1998.
Established today over government resistance, the Select Upper House
Inquiry results from an unprecedented cooperative alliance between the NSW
Coalition, a united crossbench and a host of non-government community
groups in support of the No New Women's Prison Campaign. NSW prisons were
last probed by the 1978 Nagle Royal Commission of Inquiry into NSW Prisons;
the outstanding legacy and recommendations of Nagle might yet be fulfilled.
Realising that they lacked the numbers to block the Coalition motion and a
crossbench amendment calling for a moratorium on prison construction, the
government sought to refer the terms of reference, in entirety, to a
Standing Committee with a government majority.
This effort was rebuffed and the Coalition motion and moratorium amendment
was passed in unprecedented fashion by a united crossbench in attendance:
Independents, Democrats, Christian Democrats, Greens, Unity, Reform the
Legal System, One Nation, A Better Future for Our Children, and the Outdoor
Recreation Party.
The Government must now be encouraged to assure a meaningful inquiry
by: 1/ passing enabling legislation that will allow the committees to
function between sittings of Parliament and 2/ providing adequate funding
comparable with other legislative committees to assure sufficient staff and
investigative resources.
As well as the NSW Coalition and crossbench, the No New Women's Prison
Campaign extends our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to all those
organisations which have offered their unconditional support. We have
already begun planning to assure that all community and professional
organisations with an interest, across all sectors and jurisdictions, can
make essential submissions to the inquiry. We will keep you posted.
With thanks and regards,
Kath McFarlane and Jim Mellor
on behalf of the NNWPC and supporters
ABC News - Inquiry to examine prison population increase
Bulletin: Wed, 17 Nov 1999 14:32 AEDT
LOCAL NEWS : New South Wales
There is to be a parliamentary inquiry into a significant increase in the
population of New South Wales prisons over the past five years.
The Coalition has succeeded in having a select committee investigate the
issue against the New South Wales Government's wishes.
The Government argued in the Upper House the issue should be examined by
the Standing Committee on Law and Justice, which it controls.
But the Coalition has gained the support of cross-bench members of
Parliament to establish a select committee on the matter.
It is believed to be the first motion supported by the entire cross-bench.
The inquiry aims to find out why there has been a 40 per cent increase in
female prisoners, and whether jail is the most effective solution for women
and indigenous women who are sentenced.
It will report on this aspect next May, while a further report on other
issues relating to women and the general population in prisons is due by
October.
1999 Australian Broadcasting Corporation
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
No New Women's Prison Campaign
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
LMB 18, Suite 317
Newtown 2042 NSW
Message bank: 02 9990 2370
Mobile: 0413 257 469
Fax: 02 9664 3094
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
--
Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.alexia.net.au/~www/mhutton/index.html
Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop
Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink
Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
