Treasurer takes public sector union to court over corrections staff rally that would send most jails into lockdown
TREASURER Rob Lucas will take the state’s public sector union to court in an urgent attempt to prevent a total 16-hour lockdown of all bar one of the state’s prisons.
- Budget 2018: Union to lockdown prisons
- All you need to know about the State Budget: Our five-minute guide
- Public service to be cut by more than 4000
- Adelaide Remand Centre operations to be privatised
TREASURER Rob Lucas will take the state’s public sector union to court in an urgent attempt to prevent a total 16-hour lockdown of all bar one of the state’s prisons.
Mr Lucas said marathon talks between the Public Sector Association and the Correctional Services Department had broken down after the union was “unable or unwilling” to commit to ensuring minimum staffing levels were maintained during a protest rally planned for Monday.
He served the PSA with legal documents on Thursday night and is seeking to have the SA Employment Tribunal hear the matter on Friday.
“Despite nearly three hours of negotiations, the PSA has been unwilling or unable to guarantee that minimum staffing levels will be maintained to ensure public safety,” he said.
“Their actions have left us no other option but to lodge a notification of an industrial dispute under the Fair Work Act in the SA Employment Tribunal and we have sought an urgent compulsory conference.
“At the end of the day, the Government respects people’s right to protest, but that can never override the public’s right to feel safe.”
PSA state secretary Nev Kitchin said the union remained ready to “reach a suitable and reasonable agreement” and would deal with the matter when it came before the SAET.
“Prison officers are dedicated to maintaining the safety of the community and people in prison every day. Monday will be no exception,” he said.
The rally against public servant cuts and the privatisation of the Adelaide Remand Centre will send all of the state’s prisons bar one into lockdown for 16 hours from late Sunday.
The protest is to be held on the steps of Parliament House from 12.10pm.
Mr Lucas earlier said negotiations were continuing to provide “some level” of community safety during the rally.
In a letter to members, the PSA said the Budget “represents an attack on the essential services provided to the community by all agencies and sets a dangerous agenda for the next four years”.
“The PSA encourages all public sector workers to attend the rally on Monday at Parliament House to support the services they provide to the community, support their colleagues, and show their outrage at the cuts to and privatisation of essential public services,” the letter said,
“All members should now be on notice — privatisations, announced and threatened, are now on the agenda regardless of what is in the public interest.”
Corrections staff packed State Parliament’s public gallery to applaud Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas’ Budget reply speech.
Mr Lucas joked he was “stunned” that prison officers had applauded the former union leader’s speech condemning the Adelaide Remand Centre outsourcing.
He said Mr Malinauskas had committed “rank hypocrisy” as he was corrections minister when the contract at Mt Gambier prison was extended to private provider G4S.
“They (prison officers) may be prepared to ignore the hypocrisy of the Labor leader. The people of South Australia can sniff hypocrisy when they smell it and this is just rank hypocrisy from Mr Malinauskas,” he said.
Mr Malinauskas said the Liberal Government had privatised the Mt Gambier prison and Mr Lucas was “back at it again” by outsourcing the Remand Centre.
He said it was “not surprising” the PSA were expressing concerns about the privatisation plan, which he said would lead to the “Americanisation” of the state’s prison sector.
“Why are we privatising a maximum-security prison located in the middle of the CBD? It is an absurd proposition. This is a fundamentally critical piece of public infrastructure, it should remain in public hands,” he said.
South Australia’s prisons
adelaide Pre-release centre
Grand Junction Rd, Northfield
Capacity: 104 prisoners
Adelaide Women’s Prison
Grand Junction Rd, Northfield
Capacity: 156 prisoners
Yatala Labour Prison
Peter Brown Drive, Northfield
Capacity: 548 prisoners
Adelaide Remand Centre
Currie St, Adelaide
Capacity: 274 prisoners
Cadell Training Centre
Boden Rd, Cadell
Capacity: 210 prisoners
Mobilong Prison
Maurice Rd, Murray Bridge
Capacity: 472 prisoners
Port Augusta Prison
Highway 1, Stirling North
Capacity: 661 prisoners
Port Lincoln Prison
Pound Lane, Port Lincoln
Capacity: 202 prisoners
Mt Gambier Prison
Benara Rd, Moorak
Capacity: 493 prisoners