I was due for parole in March, and my parole is approved but there is no housing for me to go to.

In my speech, I emphasised that strip searching is sexual assault disguised as prison safety. Strip searching is not about safety – and the data proves it.

I am a prisoner at Dame Phyllis Frost Centre and have been since February 2022. I have no family in Melbourne that can visit me in person. Nor do they drop off property or top up my account with money. I solely rely on my wages from working a full-time job inside the prison.

“Parole approved pending housing.” This is by far the worst sentence I have heard in prison.

The community is now watching, listening and aware of lockdowns inside our prisons. The persistence with media, radio and newspaper, and with emails and phone calls is finally paying off. Next – a protest. What else is left to do?

Alcohol sets off both a physical allergy and a mental obsession.

The handling of Aboriginal art and the ignorance around cultural significance by prisons in Victoria is appalling. This was my experience. It happened to me more than once, and no one was ever held accountable.

This is not the journey I planned. I didn’t wake up one day and say, ‘I want to go to prison and become an artist. I better start applying to all the different gangs and drug dealers and see who is hiring.’ No, that’s not how it happened. In fact, the road was a lot darker, violent and overall ruthless.

My release date was the 18th of March 2025, and in one month I have accomplished so many things.

I destroy homes, I tear families apart, take your children, and that’s just the start. I’m more costly than diamonds, more precious than gold, the sorrow I bring is a sight to behold.