Shadow Minister for Corrections Madeleine Ogilvie said the assault of two more prison officers at Risdon should finally convince the Minister to take serious action.
“2015 is going to go down as one of the worst years on records for our prison system,” Ms Ogilvie said.
“And again the Minister’s reaction, this time to the assault of two correctional officers, is lacklustre.
“Labor has consistently raised issues within our prison system but the Government has so far failed to adequately respond.
“How many serious incidents do we have to hear about before the Minister is prepared to make significant changes?
“It’s clear that morale is very low in the prison and it’s leading to a spate of incidents.
“Moving staff from one part of the prison to another at certain times is not the answer.
“If the prison is inadequately staffed, the Minister must act and provide the support the system needs.
“If staffing constraints mean prisoners are locked in isolation for unsuitable lengths of time, the Minister must act to relieve the tension.
“We can’t afford to have a pressure-cooker situation inside Risdon.
“Tasmanians have a right to know exactly why we’re seeing incident after incident occur, but so far the Government’s response has lacked transparency.”
Madeleine Ogilvie MP Shadow Minister for Corrections
