‘Emergency actions’ and chartered flights used to shift prisoners between Darwin and Alice Springs

The correctional tinderbox is on the verge of turning into a roaring fire, with a walk off the job now a live possibility amid claims 35 women inmates charter flown to Darwin will have to be housed in a library or workshop.

October 27: Female prisoners prepare to board a chartered flight to Darwin at Alice Springs Airport, where they will be rehoused to Darwin Correctional Centre. Picture: Gera Kazakov

Female inmates from Alice Springs could spend their first night in Darwin Correctional Centre in the library or the workshop, the union says, as a dispute between them and the Department of Corrections grows – with a “walk off” possible soon.

Just after lunchtime on Sunday, about 35 female prisoners from the Alice Spring Correctional Centre (ASCC) boarded a chartered Airnorth flight to Darwin, where they’ll be sent to Darwin Correctional Centre (DCC).

Prior to the women boarding, 20 men from DCC disembarked the Airnorth flight from Darwin to Alice Springs, and are now locked up at ASCC.

United Workers Union (UWU) NT secretary Erina Early visited DCC on Sunday, and said corrections officers were yet to be briefed on the arrival of the inmates – or where to put them.

Prisoners prepare to board a chartered flight to Darwin at Alice Springs Airport. Picture: Gera Kazakov

She said the only space available for the female officers was the library or the female prison industries workshop.

The women have been sent 1500km away from their from families, with corrections officers now concerned about their safety due to the influx of prisoners, Ms Early said.

Corrections Commissioner Matthew Varley said claims women would be housed in the library or workshop were “just not true”, but admitted there were prisoners sleeping on mattresses on the floor.

“I’m not going to make any apologies for the fact that these prisoners are on mattresses on the floor. They’re on mattresses in watch houses, I’d point out, and these ones here in prison actually have access to better facilities than they do in watch houses,” he told press late Sunday afternoon.

“My senior team has been on that block this afternoon talking with the women and the staff, and they’re already making preparations for those plans to be put in place. And I guess the point is, folks, that’s what we do: we respond to these emergencies.

“We’ve worked hard to develop those operational plans, and we’ve put those plans in place over the last 48 hours, and they’ll continue to be rolled out over the next few days ahead.

“It’s a busy and challenging time for corrections.”

Mr Varley initiated six emergency actions on Friday in response to a “record high” of 2370 inmates being housed in the NTs correctional facilities that same day – something he attributed to an increase in arrests and remands.

The emergency response included relocating prisoners from watch houses in Darwin, Palmerston, Katherine, and Alice Springs.

This masthead understands there are 25 prisoners in Palmerston watch house, where the lights are never dimmed, who have been there for more than 10 days.

Prisoners prepare to board a chartered flight to Darwin at Alice Springs Airport. Picture: Gera Kazakov

One Alice Springs corrections officer – who didn’t want to be named – said their colleagues on the ground “are stressing and p---ed off” about management’s actions.

“Officers are really disappointed and angry with Varley and his management … this is unacceptable and a breach of the current EBA (enterprise bargaining agreement),” the source said.

The Department of Corrections, in a statement, said the union had formally disputed the emergency actions under the EBA and “consultation with unions will continue regarding this dispute”.

October 27: Male prisoners disembark from a chartered flight to Darwin at Alice Springs Airport. Picture: Gera Kazakov

Corrections Minister Gerard Maley said Mr Varley was “making necessary operational decisions to keep the community safe”.

“Senior corrections officers have established an incident management team to oversee the operational response to the safety of staff and the security and good order of our prisons,” he said.

But Ms Early said none of her members had come in contact with the “incident management team”.

“Corrections officers now believe they’re not going to come home safe to their family and believe a riot is imminent,” she said.

She said this reflected the view of corrections officers in both the Top End and Red Centre, with a walk off under the Work Health and Safety Act “very much a reality” on Monday – if all members vote in support of the action.

“Corrections officers take their job seriously, they’re not going to walk off the job for the sake of it,” she said.

Originally published as ‘Emergency actions’ and chartered flights used to shift prisoners between Darwin and Alice Springs