Mark Speakman
NSW Leader of the Opposition
Damien Tudehope
Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations
Adam Crouch
Shadow Minister for Corrections
The Minns Labor Government has lost control of the state’s correctional system, with prison officers in New South Wales walking off the job in a 48-hour strike forcing the entire inmate population into lockdown.
Chris Minns and Anoulack Chanthivong have left the men and women risking their safety behind bars feeling abandoned, unheard and unsafe.
Our hardworking corrections officers deserve to go to work each day knowing they’ll come home safely. Instead, they’ve been left to pick up the pieces of a government that’s all words and no action.
Leader of the Opposition Mark Speakman said this was a crisis of Labor’s own making.
“When the people who keep our prisons safe say they’ve lost faith in the Government, it’s a damning indictment on leadership. This strike is not about pay, it’s about safety, respect, and a government that has stopped listening,” Mr Speakman said.
Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations Damien Tudehope said the strike is yet another sign that Labor has lost the trust of frontline workers.
“When an entire workforce walks out, it’s not because they want to, it’s because they’ve been pushed to the edge. The Minns Labor Government promised respect for workers, but all they’ve delivered is chaos and conflict,” Mr Tudehope said.
Shadow Minister for Corrections Adam Crouch said the strike reflects deep-seated frustration across the state’s prison system.
“This is a show of no confidence in the Minns Labor Government. When every corrections officer in the state walks out, it tells you everything you need to know about how broken things have become under Labor,” Mr Crouch said.
The Opposition is calling on the Minns Labor Government to urgently meet with representatives of the Public Service Association and the state’s corrections officers to resolve the crisis and restore order.