31447 (2025). Hon Dr Duncan Webb to the Minister of Corrections

31447 (2025). Hon Dr Duncan Webb to the Minister of Corrections: Does the Department use the Standard Guidelines for Prison Facilities in Australia and New Zealand as a basis for measuring prison standards and quality; if not what standards are used?

Hon Mark Mitchell: I am advised that Corrections does not use the Standard Guidelines for Prison Facilities in Australia and New Zealand as these are from 1990 and are now considered outdated. I am further advised that the New Zealand specific Prison Design Standards were developed in 2004 and updated in 2014. However, capital projects are outsourced to external consultants with custodial design experience and manged by internal Project Managers who use extensive internal stakeholder groups to refine the design. I am further advised that new Custodial Design Standards are currently being developed for Corrections and are intended to become part of the consultant contract to provide more consistency across sites. These Standards are developed from a number of other resources, including lessons learnt from previous projects, previous Design Standards, Works Requirements, Australian Standards and Guidelines as well as global research. I am further advised that the new Custodial Design Standards include guidelines and room data sheets that are already being used to brief consultants for new capital projects.