Elise Archer,Attorney-General
Minister for Corrections
As Attorney General and Minister for Corrections, I am pleased that our intensive recruitment campaign to alleviate some of the current challenges within our prison system is producing results with 24 new recruits currently in the final stage of their recruitment, ahead of commencing their training in late November.
The Tasmania Prison Service (TPS) has also actively encouraged existing and previous correctional officers in other jurisdictions to consider relocating to Tasmania where they can complete a shorter bridging course to fast track their career as Correctional Officers.
I am pleased that 11 applicants have either been approved for this program or are in the final stages of suitability assessments, with the first bridging course for this group expected to commence in mid-November.
We have invested significantly since coming to office, with more than 215 extra Correctional Officers in our prison system since 2016, including 79 in 2020 alone, and this additional recruitment is another positive step forward.
We have also delivered our election commitment to employ five new drug and alcohol staff within the TPS, significantly enhancing our capacity to deliver these important interventions programs.
We are also presently looking at other pathways to encourage people towards a career in our Corrections system, and we will continue working with the unions on this important work.
This demonstrates our strong commitment to providing a safe and secure environment for both staff and prisoners, and we will continue with our intensive recruitment campaign and doing all we can to ensure the safety of everyone within our prison system.
