British prison operator Serco is to run the Adelaide Remand Centre for another five years and the news has gone done badly with unions.
Serco has run the centre since 2019, when the Liberal Marshall state government privatised it in a seven-year deal reportedly worth $115 million, that had a five-year extension option which the current Labor state government renewed today (May 11).
The SA Government claims that due to the terms of the 2019 contract, renewing it was their only option that would not incur financial penalty.
In a brief media statement released today (Monday, May 11), Correctional Services Minister Michael Brown claimed “there are a number of serious challenges” to reversing the privatisation.
“In 2019, the then Marshall Government entered into a seven-year contract with a five-year renewal period that is difficult to unwind without incurring significant cost to taxpayers,” he says.
“I take the management of the Adelaide Remand Centre extremely seriously.”
He also vowed to work with the unions and Serco to ensure the prison can remain safe.
• Click here to learn more about Serco
CPSU SLAMS PRISON DECISION
But the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) calls the decision a national betrayal of corrections officers across the country.
It says that while other Labor governments walked prisons back into public ownership (most recently Junee and Parklea prisons in NSW last year), the SA Government did not.
CPSU federal secretary Stewart Little says the move is a betrayal of correctional officers around the country.
“Staff at the Adelaide Remand Centre play a pivotal role in the South Australian criminal justice system,” he says.
“This decision will ultimately lead to more assaults and a continued upswing in violence in the South Australian prison system.
“Corrections staff are an integral part of the criminal justice system. They are no different to the police or the courts, they do a difficult and dangerous job protecting the community.”
“Today’s decision is an absolute disgrace,” he says. “Peter Malinauskis should hang his head in shame.”
PSASA HITS OUT AT DECISION
The Public Service Association of South Australia (PSASA), who look after prison officers, also lashed out at the decision.
PSASA general secretary Charlotte Watson says, “we’re got the contract and there is no monetary penalty for finishing as agreed after seven years”.
“The minister claims there are ‘serious challenges’ in ending the contract and that taxpayers would have had to stump up a lot of money to Serco; we think that’s bullshit,” Watson says.
“The fact this decision was put out on a Friday arvo via press release shows (Premier Peter) Malinauskas doesn’t want to own up to it …”
“We’d expected a decision like this from a Liberal Government but from a Labor Government with a commanding majority it’s nothing short of a betrayal of their core values,” Watson says.
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