Why does it take a death to spur those in authority into action. It happens on highways and intersections, in hospitals, violent child abuse, and now in our prisons.
Regarding the latter, why haven't lawyers who have "not seen so many broken arms" spoken out publicly before this? Why has the head in the sand, Minister of Corrections, who was informed about the throwing/dropping of inmates over balconies on to concrete a year ago, chosen to be inactive, and continues to argue the difference between the two? (They both led to the same result for the unfortunate inmates).
He then had the gall to protest that he had not been informed. For a Minister to be ignorant of what occurs in his department is inexcusable. Now Serco has received a fine and a slap on the hand with a wet bus ticket and a report card that states "needs to do better". Small comfort to those with broken bodies and the family of the prisoner who died as a result of Serco's gross negligence. Its contract should have been cancelled immediately and the Government to resume responsibility for prisons as it is paid to do so.
Privatisation will never work, as the companies concerned will always strive for the bonus money above the care for people. It will happen if state houses are privatised where people will live in shoddy or unaffordable rentals and the privatisation of railway where people now compete with hundreds of trucks on the highways.
An accolade to Labour's spokesman for corrections and police, Kelvin Davis, for having the guts and honesty to stand up against violence and also to stand up in Parliament against the ridicule of the National Party and ask for the resignation of that Minister.
