For the first time since the prison opened, Gatton’s high-security centre will operate under the public sector
As work begins to expand Gatton’s high-security women’s prison, new operators will take over the facility.
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The state’s entire prison system will now operate under the public sector, with Gatton’s high-security women’s prison moving under the Queensland Correctional Services banner.
The Southern Queensland Correctional Centre was the final prison to make the transition from private to public operation on June 30, with private operator SERCO having operated the centre since it opened in 2012.
It was transitioned from private to public operations while operational at maximum capacity.
Since 2016, SERCO’s contract has been renewed about 14 times and in 2018 they welcomed the first female prisoners to the facility in a bid to reduce overcrowding.
Already, an additional 12 staff have been added to the Lockyer Valley prison payroll, which Minister for Corrective Services Mark Ryan said was also a benefit to the inmates.
“The transition has gone very well, and the vast majority of staff have transitioned over (so) the people here in custody will be seeing familiar faces,” he said.
“We believe with more staffing in the public model we get better outcomes for people in custody, we are bale to provide more intensity around the services we provide them, but also more safety – 10 not just for our staff but safety for those in custody.”
The centre, as of July 1, will be led by chief superintendent Tamara Broderick and most SERCO staff who transitioned across to QCS.
Mr Ryan said the total workforce at SQCC was about 240 staff, which would be built upon when the second stage development of an additional 1000 beds was completed.
The move from private to public through Operation Certitude, resulted from task force Flaxton – a Crime and Corruptions Commission inquest that examined crime and corruption risks in the state’s corrective service facilities.
As a result, the SQCC became the final prison to transition to the public sector, following Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre making the switch in 2019.
Outgoing SQCC director Nick Rowe, of SERCO, said last Wednesday was a bittersweet day for both himself and the SERCO family.
“SERCO have been instrumental in a couple of transfer operations. In 2018 we were part of Operation Elevate, which allowed women to come into the centre to reduce overcrowding,” he said.
“I know the foundations we have put in for this being one of the best Queensland Correctional Centers and that Tamara Broderick and the team will build upon that to make it a bigger success.”
Commissioner Paul Stewart said the transition process had been positive among staff and he was excited to have SERCO officers and employees join the public team.
“There have been opportunities – we have recruited additional people as well as training people from SERCO and bringing in other staff from QCS that have transitioned to the centre,” he said.
Mr Stewart said work undertaken by QCS as part of Operation Certitude had been some of the most complex in the department’s 170-year history.
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