Media Releases

Workers frustrated as Serco drags its heels in EBA negotiations

The WA Prison Officers’ Union said staff at Acacia prison were becoming increasingly frustrated with their employer Serco for failing to reach a new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement.Staff at Acacia overwhelmingly rejected Serco’s EBA offer, which was p ...

Safety concerns amid chronic staff shortages in prisons

The WA Prison Officers’ Union has raised serious safety concerns, amid chronic staff shortages in several of the state’s prisons.Casuarina maximum security prison has been on rolling lockdowns in the past week because there was not enough staff to ope ...

New report into Acacia Prison vindicates Union EBA stance

A new report into the Serco-run Acacia prison has found significant issues with staffing levels, which is also one of the main issues of contention in current Enterprise Bargaining Agreement negotiations.A report by the Inspector of Custodial Services has ...

Prisoners locked down as prisons run short of staff

The WA Prison Officers’ Union said it was shocking that prisoners at the state’s two largest prisons were on lockdown because there were not enough staff to operate them.WAPOU Secretary John Welch said Casuarina was 34 prison officers short and Hakea ...

Prison units still closed as prisoner numbers soar

New figures have revealed WA’s prisons are bursting at the seams, and are currently holding almost 30% more prisoners than they’re designed for.The figures revealed Albany regional prison was currently the most overcrowded prison in the state, housing ...

Plans to open prison units without staff to run them

The WA Prison Officers’ Union said the State Government’s decision to open new prison units at Hakea and Casuarina vindicated its position that WA’s prisons were chronically overcrowded.One unit was opened at Casuarina on Tuesday and the Department ...

Concern about State Government’s continued privatisation agenda

The WA Prison Officers’ Union is very concerned about comments made by the Corrective Services Minister that the prison security contract could be taken from Serco and awarded to another company.The State Government is currently reviewing the Corrective ...

Overcrowding forces prisoners to sleep on the floor

The WA Prison Officers’ Union has raised concerns about prisoners at Bandyup women’s prison being forced to sleep on the floor because the facility is so overcrowded.The Union said that prisoners often had to sleep on the floor of cells which were alr ...

State budget does nothing to alleviate prison overcrowding

The WA Prison Officers’ Union has raised concerns that the State Budget does nothing to alleviate the chronic overcrowding in the State’s prison system.WAPOU Secretary John Welch said the State Government had no provision in its budget to open enough ...

State budget fails to compensate for rising prison population

The WA Prison Officers’ Union is very concerned that the State Government has no provision in its budget to compensate for the impact of its tough new burglary laws.While the budget does acknowledge there is a risk the legislation will increase WA’s a ...

Stabbing of prison officers highlights mental health issues in prisons

The WA Prison Officers’ Union says the stabbing of two prison officers on the weekend highlighted the increasing danger of dealing with mentally ill prisoners.Three prison officers were attacked by a prisoner at Casuarina prison on Saturday.One officer ...

Union calls for MPs not to vote for Prison Officers Bill

The WA Prison Officers’ Union has called on Lower House MP’s not to vote for the Prison Officers Discipline Bill, which is set to be debated in parliament this week.The Custodial Legislation (Officers Discipline) Amendment Bill 2013 includes removing ...

Report into Geraldton escape raises more questions than it answers

The WA Prison Officers’ Union has called for the State Government to release the full report into the escape of two prisoners in Geraldton, after the Executive Summary was tabled in Parliament.WAPOU Secretary John Welch said the flimsy 2 1⁄2 page Summ ...

WA prisons: short on space and staff

The WA Prison Officers’ Union has called for the government to open four empty prison units to alleviate overcrowding in the state’s prison system.The Union’s Secretary John Welch said the government had spent $67 million dollars building five new p ...

Leaked documents reveal prison privatisation agenda

The WA Prison Officers’ Union is shocked by a document which recommends privatising more prison services and reducing the drug testing of prisoners to save the government money.The document is a summary of budget savings drawn up by the Corrective Servi ...