Rather than taking “cheap shots” at the Federal Government on his way to New Zealand, Attorney General John Hatzistergos should stay at home and ensure that desperately needed legislation to eradicate the use of mobile phones in prisons passes through the NSW Parliament, Shadow Attorney General, Shadow Minister for Justice and Shadow Minister for Juvenile Justice Greg Smith said today. 

“The Attorney General and Minister for Justice has taken a “cheap shot” in blaming the Federal Government for prisoners accessing mobile phones when his administration has failed to provide sufficient staff to search prison visitors to keep mobile phones and SIM cards out of NSW prisons,” Mr Smith said.

“Instead of swanning off to New Zealand for a conference Mr Hatzistergos should be staying here ensuring that the Government’s Bill to prohibit the use of mobile phones in prisons is passed through Parliament, rather than languishing in the Legislative Assembly until Septemeber,” he said.

“Mr Hatzistergos’ recent comments are purely political and smack of a desperate attempt to cover his own backside at the expense of good public policy."

“Recent calls from Mr Hatzistergos that he will urge the Federal Government, at this week’s Corrective Services Ministers’ Conference in New Zealand, to take action to approve laboratory tests of devices capable of jamming prisoners’ calls are just a publicity stunt that hide the real story."

“As Mr Hatzistergos is aware the Australian Communications and Media Authority is about to authorize laboratory trials to ensure that normally banned sophisticated jamming devices are able to block out illegitimate mobile phone calls, without interfering with legitimate calls and other necessary communications."

“Mr Hatzistergos would surely accept that it is essential to ensure quick response times in emergencies and that prison authorities’ communication with each other and the Police Force should not be jammed. He should accept that residents living in homes near prisons are also entitled to full access to the telecommunications system, without interference or jamming.”

“This is yet another case where the Attorney General has carped from the sidelines and blamed the Federal Government to hide his own failure to roll up his sleeves and get down to work to improve the safety of NSW families,” Mr Smith said.