On 7 January 2025, the Minister for Corrections, joined by the Corrections Victoria Commissioner, announced significant financial incentives to prospective prison officers across all Victorian prisons. The purpose of the financial incentives is to drive recruitment for a system that is already suffering from staff shortages.
The Western Plains Correctional Facility, set to open mid-year, attracts the most lucrative incentives.
New recruits at the facility will receive an $8,000 sign-on bonus and five weeks of annual leave.
If they are moving to the Geelong region for the job, they willl also be eligible for up to $10,000 to support their relocation costs.
Hopkins Correctional Centre, in western Victoria, is also offering $8,000 sign-on bonuses. For all other prisons in Victoria, new recruits will receive $5,000 sign-on bonuses.
Minister for Corrections Enver Erdogan said, “Our corrections staff do an amazing job every day keeping Victorians safe, using skills a lot of people learn in other jobs. I’d encourage people to consider a job in our prisons – it may be a better fit than you might think.”
Tradies, teachers, healthcare workers, retail and customer service staff are listed as examples of the careers with skills transferable to working in Victoria’s prisons.
Larissa Strong, Corrections Victoria Commissioner, offers this encouragement to future recruits: “Victoria’s prison officers work in a challenging and fulfilling environment where every day presents new opportunities to make a difference.”
The Grafton Gaol Hospital Redevelopment has received a significant boost with the NSW Government investing $263.8 million to upgrade the old property.
Two administrative blocks within the former minimum-security portion of the former Grafton Gaol site will be acquired to provide contemporary administrative and training support facilities. The redevelopment aims to enhance the health outcomes and meet the growing needs of Grafton and surrounding communities.
The new project includes a three-storey acute services building, featuring a new emergency department, medical imaging, and inpatient unit. Additionally, the existing day surgery and operating units will be expanded to accommodate two additional operating theatres.
The former Grafton Gaol is listed on the state’s heritage register, which was in use from 1893 to 2020. The site’s adaptive reuse ensures that its heritage significance is preserved by being in line with the conservation management plan.
Minister for Regional Heath, Ryan Park, emphasised the importance of the redevelopment, stating that it will improve healthcare capacity and provide better services of care for the local community. The refurbishment works at the former Gaol site are set to commence this year, with construction timeframes for the full redevelopment to be confirmed soon.
The ACT Ombudsman released a report in December 2024 noting the “significant uplift” of ACT Corrective Services’ (ACTCS) policies and procedures to support parole processes, including “a new information management system, and [embedding] arrangements with Housing ACT to support the Justice Housing Program.”
The ACT Ombudsman’s report relates to actions taken by ACTCS in response to a review conducted by ACT Ombudsman in November 2020. The review disclosed a number of concerning issues with ACTCS policies and procedures relating to parole processes, including recordkeeping, poor planning and administrative failures. ACTCS has implemented 14 of the 15 November 2020 review recommendations. The last recommendation to be implemented requires ACTCS “to ensure programs are more accessible to detained people, including those on remand” which ACTCS notes it is working to fulfil.
The new year brought changes for drug driving offences, with ACT police now able to issue charges to drivers for allegedly driving under the influence of cocaine.
“Each roadside drug test is now able to detect cannabis, methamphetamine, MDMA and cocaine,” an ACT Policing spokesperson said.
“While penalties for possession of certain illicit drugs have changed and cannabis possession has been decriminalised, it remains an offence to have any of those drugs present in your system while driving.”
The Tasmanian Custodial Inspector has recently welcomed changes to improve the safety and wellbeing of adults in prison.
A report released in December 2024 from the Office of the Custodial Inspector made several recommendations to improve the wellbeing of people in custody, with the Custodial Inspector noting that most recommendations were supported by the Department of Justice. Some recommendations had already been implemented – for example, the Custodial Inspector emphasised the positive impact of pay increases for people in custody, as well as the reduction of canteen prices.
However, the report also highlights the negative impact of ongoing practices such as lockdowns and the use of ‘dry cells’ (cells without running water), and acknowledges that these practices are inconsistent with international legal obligations in relation to the rights and wellbeing of those in prison. The report also highlights that while access to Aboriginal cultural supports were improving, they remained extremely limited and insufficient to meet the needs of the prison population.
These concerns were echoed by the Tasmanian Aboriginal Legal Service, who are calling on the Tasmanian Prison Service, the Department of Justice and the Tasmanian Government to increase the supports available for Aboriginal people in custody, as well as the need for changes to reduce the continued overrepresentation of Aboriginal people within the prison and legal systems.
On 7 January 2025, the Minister for Corrections, joined by the Corrections Victoria Commissioner, announced significant financial incentives to prospective prison officers across all Victorian prisons. The purpose of the financial incentives is to drive recruitment for a system that is already suffering from staff shortages.
The Western Plains Correctional Facility, set to open mid-year, attracts the most lucrative incentives.
New recruits at the facility will receive an $8,000 sign-on bonus and five weeks of annual leave.
If they are moving to the Geelong region for the job, they willl also be eligible for up to $10,000 to support their relocation costs.
Hopkins Correctional Centre, in western Victoria, is also offering $8,000 sign-on bonuses. For all other prisons in Victoria, new recruits will receive $5,000 sign-on bonuses.
Minister for Corrections Enver Erdogan said, “Our corrections staff do an amazing job every day keeping Victorians safe, using skills a lot of people learn in other jobs. I’d encourage people to consider a job in our prisons – it may be a better fit than you might think.”
Tradies, teachers, healthcare workers, retail and customer service staff are listed as examples of the careers with skills transferable to working in Victoria’s prisons.
Larissa Strong, Corrections Victoria Commissioner, offers this encouragement to future recruits: “Victoria’s prison officers work in a challenging and fulfilling environment where every day presents new opportunities to make a difference.”
The Grafton Gaol Hospital Redevelopment has received a significant boost with the NSW Government investing $263.8 million to upgrade the old property.
Two administrative blocks within the former minimum-security portion of the former Grafton Gaol site will be acquired to provide contemporary administrative and training support facilities. The redevelopment aims to enhance the health outcomes and meet the growing needs of Grafton and surrounding communities.
The new project includes a three-storey acute services building, featuring a new emergency department, medical imaging, and inpatient unit. Additionally, the existing day surgery and operating units will be expanded to accommodate two additional operating theatres.
The former Grafton Gaol is listed on the state’s heritage register, which was in use from 1893 to 2020. The site’s adaptive reuse ensures that its heritage significance is preserved by being in line with the conservation management plan.
Minister for Regional Heath, Ryan Park, emphasised the importance of the redevelopment, stating that it will improve healthcare capacity and provide better services of care for the local community. The refurbishment works at the former Gaol site are set to commence this year, with construction timeframes for the full redevelopment to be confirmed soon.
The ACT Ombudsman released a report in December 2024 noting the “significant uplift” of ACT Corrective Services’ (ACTCS) policies and procedures to support parole processes, including “a new information management system, and [embedding] arrangements with Housing ACT to support the Justice Housing Program.”
The ACT Ombudsman’s report relates to actions taken by ACTCS in response to a review conducted by ACT Ombudsman in November 2020. The review disclosed a number of concerning issues with ACTCS policies and procedures relating to parole processes, including recordkeeping, poor planning and administrative failures. ACTCS has implemented 14 of the 15 November 2020 review recommendations. The last recommendation to be implemented requires ACTCS “to ensure programs are more accessible to detained people, including those on remand” which ACTCS notes it is working to fulfil.
The new year brought changes for drug driving offences, with ACT police now able to issue charges to drivers for allegedly driving under the influence of cocaine.
“Each roadside drug test is now able to detect cannabis, methamphetamine, MDMA and cocaine,” an ACT Policing spokesperson said.
“While penalties for possession of certain illicit drugs have changed and cannabis possession has been decriminalised, it remains an offence to have any of those drugs present in your system while driving.”
The Tasmanian Custodial Inspector has recently welcomed changes to improve the safety and wellbeing of adults in prison.
A report released in December 2024 from the Office of the Custodial Inspector made several recommendations to improve the wellbeing of people in custody, with the Custodial Inspector noting that most recommendations were supported by the Department of Justice. Some recommendations had already been implemented – for example, the Custodial Inspector emphasised the positive impact of pay increases for people in custody, as well as the reduction of canteen prices.
However, the report also highlights the negative impact of ongoing practices such as lockdowns and the use of ‘dry cells’ (cells without running water), and acknowledges that these practices are inconsistent with international legal obligations in relation to the rights and wellbeing of those in prison. The report also highlights that while access to Aboriginal cultural supports were improving, they remained extremely limited and insufficient to meet the needs of the prison population.
These concerns were echoed by the Tasmanian Aboriginal Legal Service, who are calling on the Tasmanian Prison Service, the Department of Justice and the Tasmanian Government to increase the supports available for Aboriginal people in custody, as well as the need for changes to reduce the continued overrepresentation of Aboriginal people within the prison and legal systems.
In 2024, the Corrective Services Act 2006 was changed to extend the time that the State Parole Board can make you wait to reapply for parole after receiving a parole refusal decision. Please note that these changes only concern applications for state parole, and do not apply to federal parole.
If your parole application is refused, the Parole Board will decide when you can reapply. It will make this decision at the same time as a parole refusal. The maximum time frame the Parole Board can make you wait to reapply for parole following a refusal is now:
In deciding how long you must wait before reapplying for parole, the Parole Board must now consider:
In making this decision, the Board may also consider:
Different timeframes may apply if you are serving sentences for federal offences or if you are subject to special provisions in the Corrective Services Act 2006 about ‘no body, no parole’, ‘restricted prisoners’ and ‘links to terrorism’.
In an attempt to enhance community safety, the South Australian government is increasing the number of electronic monitoring devices for the surveillance of people on bail.
The Minister for Correctional Services, Dan Cregan, recently announced an $8.1 million investment, including an additional 220 electronic monitoring devices, 24/7 tracking and dedicated Corrections staff monitoring.
The investment is in line with the state’s strict bail laws, which includes regulations of mandatory electronic monitoring for any defendant accused of breaching a domestic violence-related intervention order through physical violence or the threat of violence.
The use of electronic monitoring devices in South Australia has increased 24 per cent since 2001. In the youth justice system, it has increased 73 per cent since 2000. According to police data, charges for breaches of bail increased by 7 per cent in the last year.
Minister Cregan spoke to the necessity of the program, saying “Stronger laws and real-time monitoring ensure alleged offenders on bail face stricter conditions and community safety is prioritised. The hard fact is we are requiring offenders to walk a narrower line on bail than governments before, especially where domestic violence is involved. Those who flout their bail conditions can expect to be caught, and that is showing up in the data.”
The government has also invested in rehabilitation and early intervention programs for criminalised youth. The announcement includes significant upgrades to the Kurlana Tapa Youth Training Centre and $1 million for Aboriginal children charged with minor offences to be diverted from custody and into community-based support programs aimed at addressing the underlying causes of offending.
The Northern Territory’s updated bail laws came into effect earlier this month, resulting in fewer Territorians being granted bail by police and the courts.
The strict new laws were a key feature of the Country Liberal Party (CLP) election campaign and are now a reality following their decisive victory in the 2024 NT election.
The CLP has made no apologies for this move to reduce the number of people granted bail. A statement released on Friday 10 January 2024 provides, in part:
The Finocchiaro CLP Government is now keeping more offenders off our streets to keep our community safe… Increased arrests are proof less offenders are out in our community to commit more crimes.
A consequence of these changes is that more and more individuals are being remanded in an already overburdened system, with prisons over capacity and police watch houses acting as quasi-prisons.
As reported by the ABC, the Northern Territory Police Association's President, Nathan Finn, fears it's a "matter of time" until a death in custody occurs as police station cells swell to capacity with dozens of overflow prisoners.
“We’re at a crisis situation here,” Mr Finn said. “With the high numbers coming into our watch houses, they’re high risk… they’re not designed for long-term inhabitation of those cells.”
“There’s going to be a high risk of people actually dying within our cells.”
Aboriginal Services Manager Will Hayward, among other community members, has embarked on introducing a yarning circle in Western Australia’s youth detention centre, Unit 18. The first yarning circle in December incorporated a range of cultural activities and programs for detained young people.
One young participant stated “it’s good for the boys and stuff, to help them while they’re in here. I reckon it’s good for them. And me also. Like connect more, feel more comfortable and safe and just get through their time easier I reckon.” The yarning circle was opened with a Welcome to Country, smoking ceremony and traditional dancing, with the aim of building cultural spaces for cultural healing and yarning with Elders.
The coronial inquest into the death of Cleveland Dodd, a Yamatji boy who died on 12 October 2023 after self-harming in solitary confinement in Unit 18, finished hearing oral evidence on 11 December 2024. Cleveland Dodd is described by his mother, Nadene Dodd, as a “child of the sunrise, of sweeping deserts and untampered earth.”
In one of his eighteen provisional recommendations, Coroner Urquhart stated Unit 18 should be closed “as a matter of urgency.”
He also recommended that if Unit 18 is to remain open, young people should only be sent there for a maximum of six weeks. Closing submissions are scheduled for mid-June before the Coroner delivers his final findings and recommendations.
In 2024, the Corrective Services Act 2006 was changed to extend the time that the State Parole Board can make you wait to reapply for parole after receiving a parole refusal decision. Please note that these changes only concern applications for state parole, and do not apply to federal parole.
If your parole application is refused, the Parole Board will decide when you can reapply. It will make this decision at the same time as a parole refusal. The maximum time frame the Parole Board can make you wait to reapply for parole following a refusal is now:
In deciding how long you must wait before reapplying for parole, the Parole Board must now consider:
In making this decision, the Board may also consider:
Different timeframes may apply if you are serving sentences for federal offences or if you are subject to special provisions in the Corrective Services Act 2006 about ‘no body, no parole’, ‘restricted prisoners’ and ‘links to terrorism’.
In an attempt to enhance community safety, the South Australian government is increasing the number of electronic monitoring devices for the surveillance of people on bail.
The Minister for Correctional Services, Dan Cregan, recently announced an $8.1 million investment, including an additional 220 electronic monitoring devices, 24/7 tracking and dedicated Corrections staff monitoring.
The investment is in line with the state’s strict bail laws, which includes regulations of mandatory electronic monitoring for any defendant accused of breaching a domestic violence-related intervention order through physical violence or the threat of violence.
The use of electronic monitoring devices in South Australia has increased 24 per cent since 2001. In the youth justice system, it has increased 73 per cent since 2000. According to police data, charges for breaches of bail increased by 7 per cent in the last year.
Minister Cregan spoke to the necessity of the program, saying “Stronger laws and real-time monitoring ensure alleged offenders on bail face stricter conditions and community safety is prioritised. The hard fact is we are requiring offenders to walk a narrower line on bail than governments before, especially where domestic violence is involved. Those who flout their bail conditions can expect to be caught, and that is showing up in the data.”
The government has also invested in rehabilitation and early intervention programs for criminalised youth. The announcement includes significant upgrades to the Kurlana Tapa Youth Training Centre and $1 million for Aboriginal children charged with minor offences to be diverted from custody and into community-based support programs aimed at addressing the underlying causes of offending.
The Northern Territory’s updated bail laws came into effect earlier this month, resulting in fewer Territorians being granted bail by police and the courts.
The strict new laws were a key feature of the Country Liberal Party (CLP) election campaign and are now a reality following their decisive victory in the 2024 NT election.
The CLP has made no apologies for this move to reduce the number of people granted bail. A statement released on Friday 10 January 2024 provides, in part:
The Finocchiaro CLP Government is now keeping more offenders off our streets to keep our community safe… Increased arrests are proof less offenders are out in our community to commit more crimes.
A consequence of these changes is that more and more individuals are being remanded in an already overburdened system, with prisons over capacity and police watch houses acting as quasi-prisons.
As reported by the ABC, the Northern Territory Police Association's President, Nathan Finn, fears it's a "matter of time" until a death in custody occurs as police station cells swell to capacity with dozens of overflow prisoners.
“We’re at a crisis situation here,” Mr Finn said. “With the high numbers coming into our watch houses, they’re high risk… they’re not designed for long-term inhabitation of those cells.”
“There’s going to be a high risk of people actually dying within our cells.”
Aboriginal Services Manager Will Hayward, among other community members, has embarked on introducing a yarning circle in Western Australia’s youth detention centre, Unit 18. The first yarning circle in December incorporated a range of cultural activities and programs for detained young people.
One young participant stated “it’s good for the boys and stuff, to help them while they’re in here. I reckon it’s good for them. And me also. Like connect more, feel more comfortable and safe and just get through their time easier I reckon.” The yarning circle was opened with a Welcome to Country, smoking ceremony and traditional dancing, with the aim of building cultural spaces for cultural healing and yarning with Elders.
The coronial inquest into the death of Cleveland Dodd, a Yamatji boy who died on 12 October 2023 after self-harming in solitary confinement in Unit 18, finished hearing oral evidence on 11 December 2024. Cleveland Dodd is described by his mother, Nadene Dodd, as a “child of the sunrise, of sweeping deserts and untampered earth.”
In one of his eighteen provisional recommendations, Coroner Urquhart stated Unit 18 should be closed “as a matter of urgency.”
He also recommended that if Unit 18 is to remain open, young people should only be sent there for a maximum of six weeks. Closing submissions are scheduled for mid-June before the Coroner delivers his final findings and recommendations.
Including tough bail laws being introduced in Victoria, the South Australian Government ruling out raising the age of criminal responsibility, a new parole board president appointed in Queensland and more.
The Australian Federal election is coming up. This is about voting for the Prime Minister and other federal politicians. It will be held on 3 May 2025.
“We can’t get information about how a party or candidate’s policies must impact prisoners,” Kelly told About Time. ‘Prison officers also will not provide us with any information as it is seen as political.”
Prison work differs across the country.
Help us get About Time off the ground. All donations are tax deductible and will be vital in providing an essential resource for people in prison and their loved ones.
Help us get About Time off the ground. All donations are tax deductible and will be vital in providing an essential resource for people in prison and their loved ones.
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