Commissioner Matthew Varley backs ‘privatisation’ bill bringing in contractors to ‘outside the wire’ roles
The Corrections boss has said hiring private contractors may be the way to break a cycle of lockdowns in the Territory’s overburdened prison system, as his workers question his leadership in a ‘no confidence’ vote.
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The Northern Territory’s Corrections boss has endorsed a plan to bring in private contractors as the way to break the cycle of lockdowns and crisis in the prisons.
Commissioner Matthew Varley said allowing private contractors or interstate workers to take over ‘outside the wire’ duties was a practical solution amid high prison numbers and chronic staffing shortfalls.
Ahead of the parliament’s vote on the Correctional Services Legislative Amendment Bill 2025 on Thursday, Mr Varley maintained the proposal would “give me options and support”, and was not aimed at cutting costs or jobs.
“On any given day we are absolutely short staffed across our prison network,” he said.
Mr Varley said he was around 40 officers short inside both the Darwin and Alice Springs prisons, while at the same time an average of 60 officers a day were working “outside the wire”, conducting hospital escorts, guarding local court appearances, and in the watch houses.
“That is a pressure point on our people,” he said.
Under the proposed legislation there are no limits to where the private contractors could be deployed in the prison system, with the ‘special correctional officer’ given the same powers and regulations as NT Corrections staff.
However Mr Varley promised they would only be used for external “ancillary” roles, stating: “I am not putting private corrections officers inside the wire”.
Mr Varley said he currently had around 695 Correctional officers on the books and 2683 Territorians in the cells — a maximum ratio of around one officer to every four prisoners.
But with the expansion of facilities and spike in prison populations, he estimated the workforce would need an additional 100 staff across the NT.
Mr Varley said any private security officers taking over “ancillary” roles would need to have the necessary qualifications, skills and experience for those jobs.
“(Which allows) professional correctional officers — who do a remarkable job every single day for us — back in the prisons doing what they do best,” he said.
In a direct appeal to his workers, Mr Varley said he was fighting to reinstate a prison system which could “actually focus on the good business of the rehabilitation of offenders”.
“We don’t want to run a lockdown prison system and a lock down criminal justice system due to short staffing forever,” he said.
Deputy Chief Minister Gerard Maley blamed the crisis on a “lack of planning and a lack of training” by the former government, while acknowledging a 500 person increase in the prison population in the five months since the CLP came into power.
Mr Maley said the current pressure on workers was “unsustainable”, with 168,000 hours in overtime for ‘outside the wire’ roles in 12 months, costing $11m in additional staff costs.
But he said the changes were “not about the money”, saying the private prison contract would have to go out to the market through the regular tender process.
“If we go and (they) say it’s going to cost $11m or $15m or $20m — that’s what the price will be,” Mr Maley said
But UWU NT secretary Erina Early said the changes were clearly a cost cutting measure, outsourcing shifts with high overtime and bonuses to private contractors.
Mr Maley has defended refusing to meet with the union ahead of the legislation being rushed through the parliament, stating that they were given the opportunity to be briefed by the Commissioner.
“We have given them as much information as possible,” he said.
In documents seen by the NT News, the UWU requested an urgent briefing with Mr Maley last Friday and asked for a copy of the draft bill, supporting documentation and costings.
Mr Maley told the union he would not meet with them, instead directing a briefing with them and the NT Prison Officers Association to Mr Varley.
“There has been no consultation with the Union (from the Minister) and as you are aware, Commissioners do not always tell the truth to the Minister,” Ms Early responded.
“Correctional Officers have lost all faith in Commissioner Varley.”
In response to the prison privatisation bill Corrections workers have launched a ‘no confidence’ vote against Mr Varley, with the ballot results to be confirmed next Wednesday.
Originally published as Commissioner Matthew Varley backs ‘privatisation’ bill bringing in contractors to ‘outside the wire’ roles
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