Member News

Expanded testing criteria for Prison Officers/VSOs

The criteria for testing for COVID-19 continues to be expanded, especially for workers in high-risk workplaces such as prisons. WAPOU encourages all members who are experiencing any of the following symptoms to not attend work until such time as you have ...

School's back for Term 2

The recent announcement by the State Government that public schools will be opening in Term 2 may have some implications for WAPOU members with school aged children.   While the announcement provided flexibility for parents to choose to keep their ch ...

COVID-19 Advice

WAPOU has welcomed the release of new advice from Public Sector Labour Relations (PSLR) for vulnerable workers in high-risk settings such as prisons. The updated advice followed a consultation PSLR and WAPOU, where specific concerns were raised on behalf ...

VSO Positions

WAPOU welcomes the long overdue announcement from the Department of Justice this week that they are engaging in the bulk recruitment of Vocational Support Officers. Vocational Support Officers play a vital role in the rehabilitation and up-skilling of pr ...

Occupational Safety & Health – managing the prison environments

Recently our Industrial Officers have received many queries about various tasks assigned Officers, and other queries about the safety of the working environment, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. In many cases the queries fall under the ambit of ‘o ...

Melaleuca Women’s Prison

Amid all the recent COVID-19 related news, it might have been easy to overlook a massive win for WAPOU. On Saturday 6 April, after three and half years, the failed experiment of a French catering company running a Western Australian maximum-security wome ...

Casuarina Incident

An incident at Casuarina Prison on Sunday 29 March 2020, where a number of inmates made their way on to a roof, led to one of our members being injured after being struck on the head by a projectile thrown by one of the prisoners involved in the incident. ...

COVID-19 Pandemic : Update for Members

Dear members,  WAPOU are acutely aware that members are experiencing high levels of anxiety, stress and feelings of uncertainty due to the increasingly concerning COVID-19 pandemic.  Your health, safety and wellbeing will always remain our prima ...

BRANCH REPORTS TO STATE COUNCIL

BRANCH REPORTS TO STATE COUNCIL   ACACIA Industrial Agreement negotiations are close to conclusion. The outstanding issue in relation to Personal Leave hours has been resolved. Serco have offered 2 months back-pay. ACADEMY Nothing to report. ALBA ...

Overcrowding at Hakea

In the last week of February, we went to the media warning of more serious incidents at Hakea Prison as overcrowding reached an all-time high. WAPOU is concerned for the safety of prison officers and other staff working at the maximum-security prison with ...

Mandatory infectious diseases testing tabled in Parliament

WAPOU has welcomed the State Government’s decision to introduce new laws to make it mandatory for prisoners accused of assaulting prison officers to be tested for infectious disease. Prison officers Mike, Rebecca and Reece and WAPOU Assistant Secret ...

Respect your Mental Health Seminar – Education & Inspiration

WAPOU is hosting its third annual Respect your Mental Health Seminar at Crown Perth on June 24, 2020. The theme for the seminar is: Education & Inspiration. Several local and interstate mental health and lived-experience professional speakers hav ...

Stand T.A.L.R implementation for Corrective Services NSW

Secretary Andy Smith and Training & Engagement Manager Bodie Green travelled to Sydney In February  to begin implementing the Stand T.A.L.R program for Corrective Services NSW (CSNSW).  The trip commenced with a welcome of Stand T. ...

Acacia to remain private

WAPOU Secretary Andy Smith spoke out against the WA Government’s blindsiding decision to allow Acacia Prison to remain privately operated. Mr Smith called for the government to give WAPOU access to an independent KPMG report that showed it was more ...

Melaleuca back in public hands

WAPOU has welcomed a WA Government decision to bring Melaleuca Remand and Reintegration Facility back into public hands, after campaigning since the contract was awarded to Sodexo in 2016.  Officers working at Melaleuca under Sodexo had to deal with ...