Prisons to go into lockdown as Public Sector Association fumes at State Budget

THE state’s prisons will go into lockdown on Monday as seething public servants protest against job cuts and privatisations in the State Budget.

• STATE BUDGET 2018

• All you need to know: Our five-minute guide
• Public service to be cut by more than 4000
• Adelaide Remand Centre operations to be privatised
• TAFE closures to hit hard and fast

THE state’s prisons will go into lockdown on Monday as seething public servants protest against job cuts and privatisations in the State Budget.

Corrections Minister Corey Wingard said any incidents “would be on the head” of the Public Service Association as the union on Wednesday entered crisis talks with prison bosses.

The PSA said the prison lockdown would allow members to attend a CBD rally against public service job cuts and the Adelaide Remand Centre’s privatisation.

Mr Lucas’ Budget also warned that Pathology SA and the state’s medical imaging service could also be privatised unless they met significant savings targets.

PSA secretary Nev Kitchen said public servants had been blindsided by the closures of TAFE campuses and privatisation plans.

Treasurer Rob Lucas

Corrections Minister Corey Wingard

Mr Lucas has consistently rejected that claim since handing down the Budget, providing correspondence where he told the PSA that the Government would consider outsourcing where it was “clearly in the public interest”.

Mr Kitchen on Wednesday met with Corrections chief executive David Brown to discuss concerns over the privatisation of the remand centre.

PODCAST: OFF THE RECORD — SA BUDGET SPECIAL

“The PSA will be encouraging all public sector workers to attend Monday’s rally to support their colleagues and show their outrage at the privatisation of essential services and cuts to public services,” Mr Kitchen said.

“These budget cuts not only affect thousands of public servants, they also negatively impact services they deliver to the South Australian community.”

Mr Wingard reiterated his commitment that the jobs of remand centre staff would be safe as it transferred to the private sector, and warned of the safety risks posed by a lockdown.

“If there is any incident or any accident or anything that disrupts public safety it is of grave concern and I am very worried about any action like that,” he said. “If there is an incident, or if there is rioting or anything worse, it will be on the head of the PSA.”

He said the Government was looking through the steps it could take to prevent the industrial action.

Corrections chief executive David Brown

Labor treasury spokesman Stephen Mullighan

Mr Wingard said he was “left aghast” at a lack of prison beds when he came into Government, and the remand centre privatisation was necessary to build high-security beds at Yatala Labour Prison and the Adelaide Women’s Prison.

Labor treasury spokesman Stephen Mullighan said it was “no wonder” public servants were angry about measures in the Budget.

Yatala Labour Prison.

“A Budget which axes 4000 public servants, privatises a prison and foreshadows the privatisation of vital health services will deny South Australians the services they rely on,” he said. “It’s no wonder South Australians from all affected areas will be angry and voice their dissent to the Marshall Government.”

In Mr Lucas’ Budget, 2286 public servants will lose their jobs, while the jobs of more than 1700 disability workers will transfer to the private sector.

The Budget also closed seven TAFE campuses and three Service SA centres, and will see a range of “low patronage” bus stops cancelled.

Mr Kitchin said “hundreds” of public servants would attend the rally, and could not say whether the industrial action would be protected. The Fair Work Commission was unable to comment.