VICTORIAN Corrections Minister Gayle Tierney has not given a full explanation of how a sex offender was able to abscond from a specialist ward outside Hopkins Correctional Centre in Ararat.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Earlier this month a 41-year-old man absconded from Corella Place, a residential-style area where sex offenders live under court orders but outside the prison’s walls. It was the latest in a series of incidents at Corella Place that have seen police issue statewide alerts for convicted rapists and child abusers who left the facility.
Ms Tierney, who is also Member for Western Victoria, was questioned about the incident during a budget estimates hearing in Melbourne last week.
Public accounts and estimates committee deputy chair, Liberal Member for Mornington David Morris, asked Ms Tierney how the community could have any faith in her capacity.
Ms Tierney did not respond directly, but continued to provide information about Corella Place in response to a previous question.
Earlier in the hearing, Mr Morris asked Ms Tierney about this month’s incident at Ararat.
“On 11 May, a serious sex offender literally just walked out of Corella Place and escaped. How is that possible?” Mr Morris said.
Labor Member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing objected to Mr Morris asking about a specific incident and the committee chair said Ms Tierney’s response could be constrained by an ongoing court case.
“Oh, come on. A prisoner walks out of Corella Place and we are not supposed to ask about it?” Mr Morris said.
Ms Tierney responded by saying Corella Place was a supervised residential facility.
“It is not a prison,” she said.
Mr Morris said the facility was apparently badly supervised.
“You do not escape from there; you abscond,” Ms Tierney said.
“It is for serious sex offenders who have completed their prison sentences but are subject to strict supervision and movement restrictions, as ordered by the court.”
Ms Tierney said that without facilities such as Corella Place, its resident offenders would be living in the general community.
“The movements of Corella Place residents are monitored through curfews, restrictions and electronic monitoring devices,” Ms Tierney said.
“When a resident tampers with their electronic monitoring, or absconds, staff immediately respond to alerts.”
Mr Morris repeatedly asked how a resident was able to abscond this month but ran out of time for his questions when the floor was handed to Greens Member for Southern Metropolitan Sue Pennicuik.