Mr Laurie Ferguson asked the Minister for Defence, upon notice, on 21 October 1999:

(1) Has the Navy lodged a submission with the WA Government seeking to run a work camp for prisoners in that State; if so, (a) on what date was it lodged, (b) what is the proposed location of the work camp, (c) what tasks does it propose that the prisoners perform, (d) are these tasks additional to the Navy's normal operations or do they replace the functions of existing personnel, (e) how many prisoners does it request and (f) how may civilian or uniformed Defence personnel will be involved in managing the proposed work camp.

(2) Has the State Government made a decision about the proposal; if so, what are the details.

Mr Moore (Defence) —The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:

(1) No. The Navy was in fact approached by the Western Australia (WA) Minister for Justice proposing that a work camp be established at Garden Island as part of the WA Ministry of Justice Adult Program Work Camp Project. This proposal was received on 12 May 1999 and is currently being considered.

(2) As this matter has been initiated by the State Government of Western Australia, any issues relating to it need to be addressed to the WA Minister for Justice.