On 22 December 2006, the Coalition sent letters to the Chief Minister, the Attorney-General and the Minister for Health a critique that the Coalition had  prepared of the extent that the operational regime of the proposed ACT prison is likely to promote rehabilitation. The critique that more attention be given to measures that will promote rehabilitation, the need for co-ordination of mental health and drug strategies to promote rehabiliation and co-ordinated planning of post release services. Read the letters here.

The Chief Minister and the Minister for Health referred the matter to the Attorney-General who replied to the Coalition on 16 March 2007. Read the Attorney-General's letter here.

The Coalition replied to the Attorney-General on 30 April 2007. In this it stated that his letter of 16 March had done little to allay the Coalition's concerns and referred to the objectives for the prison mentioned by the Chief Minister in a speech to the Legislative Assembly.  The letter included a table of performance measures for the new prison. Read letter here.

The Coalition also referred to the long overdue ACT Health Corrections Health Services Plan. The Department of Health released for comment a draft of this in August 2007.

The Attorney-General replied by a letter dated 28 May 2007 which referred mainly to the Corrections Management Bill which had been passed by the Legislative Assembly a few days earlier. The letter  proposed that "on the complex issue of performance indictors . . . I would invite you to discuss this matter when at your next meeting with Mr Paget [the Director of the Prison Project]". Read letter here.

The Coalition replied to the Attorney-General's letter of 28 May in a further letter of 1 August 2007. This requested confirmation that, before having further consultations on performance indicators,  the Government remains committed to listed outcomes from the prison identified in the Chief Minister's speech to the Assembly in August 2004. Read letter here.

The Attorney-General replied to this letter by one dated 15 August 2007. Read  letter here. This letter suggested that the Coalition discuss performance  indicators with Mr Paget at a meeting scheduled with Mr Paget on 16 August  2007. The Coalition did not receive this letter until well after that meeting which, in any case, had been arranged to discuss on engagement of non-government organisations in the operation of the new prison and did not discuss performance indicators. 

The Coalition sent a second letter to the Attorney-General on 1 August 2007. This requested that the Government provide the opportunity for public input into the ministerial directions, corrections policies and operating procedures for the new prison.  This is provided for under the Corrections Management Act  2007. Read the letter here.

The Attorney-General replied to this letter by one received on 17 December 2007. Read letter here [this is the letter to Katherine Purnell that does not appear to be dated]. This letter went into the consultation process by which policies and procedures were being developed. It added that it "is not intended that these documents will be subject, in their development, to consultation with the public". The letter also mentioned that there is provision for all policies and procedures to be subject to judicial review and that they may be scrutinised by Members of the Legislative Assembly, the Official Visitor, the Ombudsman, the Public Advocate and the Human Rights Commission even if they are not made public.

 Finalised operating policies and procedures are now available on the web here.  The Coalition wrote to the Attorney-General on 20 January 2008 welcoming the accountability that this public notification represents. Read text here.  Although many finalised policies and procedures are listed, the substantive provisions of a large number are not publicly available, they having been excluded under s. 15(1) the Corrections Management Act 2007 on the ground that disclosure "may endanger public safety or undermine justice, security or good order at a correctional centre".