Mount Gambier Prison rape case leads to fears that safety will be put at risk as private operators aim for contract renewal

MOUNT Gambier Prison staff — already reeling from the alleged rape of a female employee by a convicted murderer — fear their safety will be put at risk as management of the privately-run jail warns it must come in “very lean” to win a contract renewal.

MOUNT Gambier Prison staff fear their safety will be put at risk as management of the privately run prison warns it must run “very lean” to win a renewal of its contract.

They are worried that a major expansion of the state’s only private jail could lead to a repeat of a shocking incident last year — in which a convicted murderer allegedly raped a female staff member in a prison accommodation unit.

The murderer and sex offender — who cannot be named because he is yet to face trial on the latest allegations — is alleged to have attacked the woman after she went alone to his unit in July last year.

Mt Gambier MP Troy Bell and the Public Service Association claim there are “two sets of rules” governing the public prisons and the South-East jail, which is run by private company G4S Custodial Services.

Mr Bell said numerous prison staffers had approached him with concerns over working conditions and safety ahead of the opening of a $58m expansion that will make the jail the largest in South Australia.

“A number of them have indicated to me that they will be looking for other work, and that they already see standards dropping,” Mr Bell said.

The privately-run Mount Gambier Prison. Picture: Tait Schmaal

“One thing that gets raised to me constantly is that G4S have to bid for their tender again and management have told staff that they have to come in very lean to win the contract.”

Mr Bell said prison staff had not been told whether extra security staff will be employed to meet the demands of the expansion.

“One of their concerns is obviously prisoner-to-guard ratios, and in particular with the new prison expansion, therefore there is some nervousness about the prison going forward,” he said.

Mount Gambier Prison, which had just 110 inmates in 2007, will soon become the state’s largest correctional institution with the completion of new units, which will allow more than 600 prisoners to be held.

The Advertiser understands the prison operator, G4S, banned any female staff member from being alone with an inmate following an investigation into last July’s alleged rape.

But Public Service Association general secretary Nev Kitchin said such an attack could never have occurred in the first place inside a public jail.

“There are a number of Safe Operating Procedure policies in place throughout (public) prisons and on that basis nobody should be alone at any one time and they should have backup available to them if an incident should arise,” Mr Kitchin said.

“Our concern is about the ratio of prisoners to officers, and that no officers are working alone and that backup is available immediately at any time.”

The new wing under construction at Mount Gambier Prison. Picture: Tait Schmaal

Mr Kitchin said the PSA — which does not represent Mt Gambier Prison employees — was concerned that G4S procedures remained a mystery because its contract contained “commercial in confidence” provisions.

“The privatisation of prisons is a real concern to us, and a lot of it revolves around the fact that it’s a commercial-in-confidence contract,” he said.

“So we don’t know for example how much money is involved, and in terms of Safe Operating Procedures in a private prison we don’t have ready access to what they are.”

Mr Kitchin said there were longstanding concerns by the association over the monitoring or notation system between Mt Gambier and other state-run jails.

“I have real concerns that the nature of the (July 2017 alleged rape) may not have been correctly conveyed,” he said.

“We would always have concerns to ensure that the notation system is up to date, and sometimes you may only find out in hindsight that it wasn’t — and you would find out for example in a Coroner’s inquest.”

In a written statement, G4S management confirmed the assault had been immediately referred to police and that investigations had been carried out by the company and the Department of Correctional Services.

“The welfare of our employees is always of paramount importance to us and as such, we are continuing to provide the necessary support to our staff at Mount Gambier prison,” the statement said.

“As this matter is currently before the court, we are not able to comment further on the investigations that took place.”

Mount Gambier Prison will soon become the largest jail in the state. Picture: Tait Schmaal

Correctional Services Minister Chris Picton said his thoughts were with the alleged victim of the sexual assault and that reviews had been carried out by DCS and G4S.

“We never want an incident like this to happen again and I know the department is taking this matter very seriously,” he said.

“The department immediately initiated an independent investigation and G4S also conducted an internal investigation into the matter. Given this remains a matter before the courts, it would be inappropriate to go into any further detail.”

Mr Picton denied there were different standards between the public jails and the privately-run institution.

“G4S is contracted to maintain the same levels of security, is bound by the same standard operating procedures and legislation and is subject to the same degree of scrutiny as all the state’s correctional facilities,” Mr Picton said.

Mr Picton also promised that “Labor will not further privatise our correctional institutions” if it wins the March election.

The alleged rapist, a man in his 30s with a disturbing history of violence against women, was immediately transferred to Yatala Labour Prison after the incident and is scheduled to face trial in the District Court later this year.