I didn’t see it coming

628. Mr J.M. FRANCIS to the Minister for Corrective Services:
Mr Speaker, if I can acknowledge —

Several members interjected.

The SPEAKER: Thank you, members!

Mr J.M. FRANCIS: If I can acknowledge the Leader of the Opposition’s —

Several members interjected.

The SPEAKER: Take a seat. I formally call the member for Cockburn, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Warnbro for the first time. I have given the call to you, member for Jandakot.

Mr J.M. FRANCIS: Thank you, Mr Speaker. If I could acknowledge the —

Point of Order

Mr M. McGOWAN: Point of order!

The SPEAKER: It had better be a good point of order, member for Rockingham.

Mr M. McGOWAN: I assume that the member for Jandakot is about to undertake some sort of childish preamble and I would like to put in place a preventive point of order to try to get him to desist!

Several members interjected.

The SPEAKER: Member for Rockingham, I will give people in this place an opportunity every time to raise a point of order, but before I have even heard from the member for Jandakot is somewhat of a challenge, even for me!

Questions without Notice Resumed

Mr J.M. FRANCIS: I was merely going to acknowledge in good faith the visit yesterday by the Leader of the Opposition to my electorate. The residents down in Aubin Grove who have joined the Aubin Grove branch of the Labor Party think he is the best Labor leader ever, so that is great!

Several members interjected.

The SPEAKER: Thank you, members!

Mr J.M. FRANCIS: It is great that this government is expanding and restoring this state’s significantly neglected custodial infrastructure through a historically high allocation of funding. Can the minister please update the house on some of the works that are being undertaken to expand our state’s prison capacity, some of the design principles behind these expanded facilities, and what is the current prison population in the state of Western Australia?

Mr C.C. PORTER replied:
I thank the member for the question, and for the predictive assessment of the question. The only difference between the member for Rockingham and Nostradamus is that Nostradamus sometimes got it right!

Several members interjected.

Mr C.C. PORTER: Everyone is a critic!

Subject: Prisons – Capacity [Legislative Assembly – Questions Without Notice]

Date: 19 October 2010

Hansard reference: p. 7873 [online (pdf)]