Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee - Perth, WA (part 1 of 2)
17 March 2026
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Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee Australian Parliament
42:14 - 45:09
Speaker 4
I declare open this public hearing of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee inquiry into Australia's Youth Justice and Incarceration System. The committee's proceedings today will follow the program as circulated. These are public proceedings, being broadcast live via audio. I'm the chair of the committee, senator Leah Blythe, and joining me today in person, senators Cox and Shuberge, and I understand senator Antique is joining us via teleconference. Before we begin, I remind senators of their obligations under the behavior code for Australian parliamentarians to treat witnesses with dignity, courtesy, fairness, and respect.
I remind witnesses that in giving evidence to the committee, they are protected by parliamentary privilege. It is unlawful for anyone to threaten or disadvantage a witness on account of evidence given to a committee, and such action may be treated by the senate as contempt. It is also a contempt to give false or misleading evidence to the committee. The committee prefers evidence to be given in public, but under the senate's resolutions, witnesses have the right to request to be heard in confidence, described as being in camera. If you are a witness today and intend to request to give evidence in camera, please bring this to the attention of the secretary as soon as possible.
If a witness objects to answering a question, the witness should state the ground upon which the objection is taken, and the committee will determine whether it will insist on an answer. Having regard to the ground which is claimed, if the committee determines to insist on an answer, a witness may request that the answer be given in camera. Such a request may, of course, also be made at any other time. A witness speaking for the first time should state their full name and the capacity in which they appear, and witnesses should speak clearly and into the microphones to assist Hansard to record the proceedings. Mobile phones and other electronic devices should be switched off or turned to silent mode.
I now welcome representatives from the WA Commissioner for Children and Young People and the Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services. Thank you for taking the time to come and speak with this committee today. Information on parliamentary privilege and the protection of witnesses and evidence has been provided to you and is available from the secretariat. I remind senators and witnesses that the senate has resolved that an officer of the department of the Commonwealth or state shall not be asked to give opinions on matters of policy and shall be given reasonable opportunity to refer questions asked of the officer to superior officers or to a minister. This resolution prohibits only questions asking for opinions on matters of policy and does not preclude questions asking for explanations of policies or factual questions about when and how policies were adopted.
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