Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
We learned yesterday there are more than four hundred additional
prisoners who've entered the correction system in the Northern Territory
since August last year. The Chief Minister joined us on
the show and made no apologies for the fact that
more people are being locked up. She says she wants
Territorians to be safe. The concern I guess at this
(00:20):
point though, is that those correctional facilities are bursting. At
the SAMs. We also learned that the Catherine Watchhouse is
now being used to how's prisoners now? The Corrections Minister
Jared Mayley had said yesterday that work continues at the
Berema Correctional Center, taking the total bed count to more
than one hundred and sixty beds since opening in December.
(00:41):
Now joining me on the show is the Corrections Commissioner
Matthew Varley. Good morning to your commissioner.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Gooday, Katie, good morning, Thanks so much.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
For your time this morning. Now, Commissioner, four hundred additional
prisoners would no doubt be putting a lot of strain
on the system. How are things going?
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Yeah, okay, look that's right and pretty much I can
tell you listeners that that's all we're working on, to
be honest, you know, we're just working through day by day,
trying to make the system grow and work and adapt.
Today where if you count what is in the cat
and Watchhouse and a couple other places, where just a
nudge under two thousand and seven hundred prisoners in the
(01:20):
Northern Territory that are on either romand or sentenced. That
number obviously fluctuates daily, but it has grown significantly over
the last few months, and our job is to work
hard to adapt to that. It has put enormous pressure
on our agency and our system, but we're just trying
to do the best we can.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Commissioner, can you talk me through those numbers? How many
are on remand.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
Well, we're over fifty percent of Romande is now really
Katie in the overall population, So my numbers today would
be a bit over thirteen hundred, which is where the
significant growth has been. Of course, as those matters have
brought before the court and they have to go through
the legal process, so we're probably well, I can tell
you at Darwin and Alice Springs prisons, Halts and Olic Springs,
(02:06):
you know, we're well over fifty two to fifty three
percent of the Romand population now, which is a significant shift,
and it brings with it challenges around how we manage
those prisoners because they are all subject to you know,
assessments and security checks and behavioral management. So it's not
as easy as managing sentenced prisoners. They're different, and obviously
(02:27):
sentenced prisoners come with a degree of certainty around how
long they're with us for, so that changes the way
our system runs every day, and of course it also
adds to the operational pressures inside those prisons every day
because we have to get people to court, we have
to get people to video links, and their lawyers want
to see them as well.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Yeah, I've no doubt that the fact that such a
large number are on REMAND would also be causing stress because,
as you've just touched on, there's different requirements or different
things that you need to be worried about when you
talk about the prisoners that are on REMAND.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
Well, obviously, Katie, safety and security is first and foremost,
and you know, every prisoner has to be safe, secure
and our primary role is managing that, along with of
course the safety and security of our own staff in
the prison, which is where you know, the challenges at
the moment. But you know, if you look at Darwin
Correctional Center at fourteen hundred and forty prisoners, if I
(03:23):
can be so frank, that makes it one of the
largest prisons in Australia. And as we've spoken about before,
the complexity of we've got a house, we've got a feed,
we've got a launder, we've got a hygiene, we've got
a medical, we've got to you know, manage the needs
of those fourteen hundred people in a secure environment. That
makes it quite a large logistical exercise. Now the same
(03:46):
in Alice Springs. Since we last spoke Katie, we've lifted
the population in Alice Springs through you know, work locally
to get that up to seven hundred and thirty prisoners.
So we've gone inside Alice Springs from six fifty to
seven point thirty and of course new blocks are going
to come online soon down there which will lift that
population higher. Now against the backdrop of all of that,
(04:09):
and the Bremer Correctional Center, as you mentioned, has come
online since Christmas, and I think we need to remember
what an achievement that has been by our teams. You know,
we've essentially turned that old youth detention center into a
new operating prison and we've got one hundred and twelve
prisoners in there today, Katie. That's an enormous achievement. Our
(04:31):
team have, you know, absolutely busting themselves around the clock
and right through the Christmas period to make that work.
So you know, there's a lot of pressure, but our
team have stepped up to the challenge.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Commissioner, what about the youth detention facility? How ful is
it at the moment?
Speaker 1 (04:47):
From memory, Katie, I think we've got about forty in
Holts and another dozen or so in Alice Springs. We've
been commencing and working through the transfer of youth from
Alice Springs up to Darlin, which is why you're seeing
that grow in Holts, and our team are also working
to settle in and operationalize that new facility out at Holts,
(05:07):
which as you remember, has had its challenges, but the
team again working hard to do their best. We still
continue to see young people reminded in Alice Springs, which
is why that number we're juggling that every day, and
of course young people who are apprehended in Alice Springs
we still need to take those into custody. But the
work on converting the paperbark facility down the road to
(05:29):
our new youth center has commenced and that'll continue through
the next couple of months.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Now, in terms of how you're managing these huge numbers,
have we got a situation where there are up to
sixteen people in cells? And can you give our listeners
a bit of context when it comes to the number
of people in cells and how you manage that.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Yeah, well, there's been a bit of commentary Katie about
different numbers in different cells, and that's not a new thing.
So yes, the short answer is, we do have cells
and dormantes, both in the watchhouses and in Alice Springs
and Darwin for that matter, with large numbers of people
in them. You know, we've got dormitories that have sixteen
(06:11):
prisoners in them in prisons, but we also have watchhouses
that have large numbers of people with mattresses on the floor. Now,
that's not a desirable situation, of course, and I've always
said I don't want to be in watchhouse and I
don't want to be in watchouses any more than I
need to be. But it's a necessity at the moment.
You know, you can't just simply manage the prison population
(06:31):
growth just by jamming more people into the existing infrastructure,
because we'll end up with a problem. So that's why
we're in watchhouses. We understand that that's a critical risk
for us and for you know, the operations of those
watch houses. But our staff are doing the best they
can to make it work. And you know, we need
to remember that watchhouses aren't designed for long term holes.
(06:52):
We get that, but we are still there managing their
daily needs. We provide three meals a day. You know,
they've all got betting, they've all got laundry, they've all
got clothing, and we're admitting them into the main centers
as space has become available.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
So in Catherine, that Catherine Watchhouse is now being utilized
by corrections as well, isn't it. But do you have
staff there?
Speaker 1 (07:15):
No, And the short answer is the Catherine situation has
been a relatively new problem over the last couple of weeks.
Now we know that police were engaging in their significant,
high profile activity down in Catherine, that's their job, and
as a result has been a round up of people
on ramand down in Catherine. Now we've worked hard over
(07:37):
the last couple of weeks to try and distill some
of those prisoners up to Palmerston and then into holts
where we can. But you've also got the competing pressures
of continued inflows in the Darwin metro area. So Catherine
at the moment is a bit of a staging spot.
We know that that's the number one concern of police
at the moment, and we're working hard on that. We
(07:57):
aren't able to provide correction staff and then we don't
have a footprint in Catherine, and to be quite frank,
you know, I'm absolutely stretched with our offices across Darwin
providing coverage to the sites we do have, so we're
grateful that the police are helping us out in that front.
It's a problem that the Commissioner and I are talking
about pretty much every day, and I've given him a
commitment that will distill prisoners from Catherine as quickly as
(08:21):
we possibly can. But it's a checker game, you o, Katie,
with pieces of the puzzle moving all over the place.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Commissioner. There's been claims that prisoners in watchhouses don't have
adequate drinking water. The ABC reckons that they only have
bubblers attached to toilets. Is that the case.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
Look, I was asked that question yesterday and short answer
is no. We provide food and water, and there are
stainless steel prison toilets in both prisons and watchhouses that
are a single unit, Katie. Now, if you google these
you'll see them online. There's lots of different manufacturers that
produce is you know, all around the country. It's a
(09:03):
it's a toilet with a handbasin and a bubbler. It's
a stainless steel prison unit. It's installed in watchhouses and cells.
It's not new. But I was in the watch houses.
I've been in the watchouses a bit really and and
you know, we're providing food. We provide meals, we provide
cups of tea, you know we I don't really think
(09:23):
there's a concern there, to be honest with you. There
was a claim that one of the blood bubblers was blocked.
If it was, we've probably fixed it. I think it's
a bit of a non issue, to be honest.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
So I mean, what do you make of the claims
of people saying that it's you know, that it's a
human rights issue and that there you know, there should
be a situation where they've they've got more adequate water.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Well, I guess the first thing I'd say, they've got
adequate water. But people are you know, there's people's jobs
to hold me to account and what we do. But
at the end of the day, I'm running the best
prison system we possibly can with an increase in numbers
that would stretch any jurisdiction. Our job is to make
sure we're doing what we can with what we've got.
(10:09):
People will criticize at the end of the day, I
just can't focus on that. I've got to get on
with the job of making sure these prisoners and my
staff are safe and secure.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Well, let's talk about those stuff. How are they coping
at the moment, because by the sounds of things, you know,
it is, like you said, it's like a moving puzzle
that you're trying to you know, you're trying to juggle everything.
How are the staffing numbers going and how are they coping?
Speaker 1 (10:32):
Yeah, look, our staff. Look, I'm really proud of our
staff and what they're doing every day. They're hard working,
they're doing the best they can in what are really
tough circumstances and often operating behind the scenes in terms
of you know, making the prison system work seven days
a week now. Of course, we're short, and I've always
been pretty plain about that. We're continuing to recruit. There's
(10:55):
forty officers in training at the moment. We're continuing the
work on how we redistribute workforce around the system. Our
officers are working over time. They're stressed, you know, they
asked me lots of hard questions. And I was talking
with the United Workers' Union secretary just last night and
I'll be meeting with them again today at the end
(11:15):
of the day. Though, our job is to solve problems.
Our staff are helping us solve those problems. But we'll
continue to move the chess pieces around as best we can.
The unfortunate part of this whole scenario is we don't
get to decide how many people come to prison, so
our staff are just turning up and making it work.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
The Chief Minister had told us that one of the
largest ever intakes of recruits have started their training to
become corrections officers. How big an impact or how positive
I guess is that going to be what they're able
to get cracking and get into the job.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
Well, look, you know, it's a big positive for us.
We've got thirty one new officers that commenced on Monday,
I think what might have been Tuesday with the public holiday,
and then we've got another I think eleven experienced officers
currently in training. We've got more experienced officer courses coming
into play in the next couple of weeks and in
through February and March. I've always said, Katie, we need
(12:13):
more officers. We're going to continue to recruit, and you know,
we've got the challenges there of a growing system as well.
I guess the point i'd make in you know, I
don't want to sugarcoat this, but as we recruit, you know,
we're continuing to grow the agency as well. So the
headwinds are against us. But I'm really happy that we've
got thirty one new officers in training as of Tuesday,
(12:36):
and they've got an eleven week course ahead of them
before they're out on the roster, probably by about Easter.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
Now, Commissioner, before I let you go, the ABC again
reporting this morning that an independent politicians raised human rights
concerns with the United Nations over what they've described as
terrible jail conditions in the Northern Territory. My understanding is
that Yinya Guyoula has indeed written to the United Nations
Special Rapperteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to visit
(13:04):
the Northern Territory's asking him asking them to come to
the Northern Territory and have a look at the jails.
I mean, would you welcome.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
That well, yes, of course, and we welcome all the
oversight that we're subject to. This is not new for us.
We have oversight by the Ombudsmen, we have oversight by
the courts and the legal fraternity. You know, we have
an inspection by the Ombudsman pretty regularly. We have an
official visitors program where independent people come into the prisons,
(13:35):
have a look around and provide reports to our Minister
at the end of the day. That is not new
for us. But should other people want to come and
ask me hard questions, then my job is to answer them.
And you know, I'm just going to keep going and
doing the best I can for territoriums Well.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
Corrections Commissioner Matthew Varley, we always appreciate your time. I
know you're incredibly busy at the moment. We appreciate the
work of the correction staff as well. I know it
cannot be an easy job, particularly at this point in
time when you've got four hundred extra prisoners than what
you had in August last year. So thank you very
much for having a chat with us today.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
Thanks Katie, and thanks to our staff out there. It's
not just the uniform staff as well. It's our clinicians,
our probation and prole officers, our youth justice workers. There's
a lot of people who make this system work every
day and they're doing the best they can for the territory.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Matthew Varley, thanks so much for having a chat this morning.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
All the best, Katie thinks.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
Thank you.
Now.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
We learned yesterday there are more than four hundred additional
prisoners who've entered the correction system in the Northern Territory
since August last year. The Chief Minister joined us on
the show and made no apologies for the fact that
more people are being locked up. She says she wants
Territorians to be safe. The concern I guess at this
(00:20):
point though, is that those correctional facilities are bursting. At
the SAMs. We also learned that the Catherine Watchhouse is
now being used to how's prisoners now? The Corrections Minister
Jared Mayley had said yesterday that work continues at the
Berema Correctional Center, taking the total bed count to more
than one hundred and sixty beds since opening in December.
(00:41):
Now joining me on the show is the Corrections Commissioner
Matthew Varley. Good morning to your commissioner.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Gooday, Katie, good morning, Thanks so much.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
For your time this morning. Now, Commissioner, four hundred additional
prisoners would no doubt be putting a lot of strain
on the system. How are things going?
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Yeah, okay, look that's right and pretty much I can
tell you listeners that that's all we're working on, to
be honest, you know, we're just working through day by day,
trying to make the system grow and work and adapt.
Today where if you count what is in the cat
and Watchhouse and a couple other places, where just a
nudge under two thousand and seven hundred prisoners in the
(01:20):
Northern Territory that are on either romand or sentenced. That
number obviously fluctuates daily, but it has grown significantly over
the last few months, and our job is to work
hard to adapt to that. It has put enormous pressure
on our agency and our system, but we're just trying
to do the best we can.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Commissioner, can you talk me through those numbers? How many
are on remand.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
Well, we're over fifty percent of Romande is now really
Katie in the overall population, So my numbers today would
be a bit over thirteen hundred, which is where the
significant growth has been. Of course, as those matters have
brought before the court and they have to go through
the legal process, so we're probably well, I can tell
you at Darwin and Alice Springs prisons, Halts and Olic Springs,
(02:06):
you know, we're well over fifty two to fifty three
percent of the Romand population now, which is a significant shift,
and it brings with it challenges around how we manage
those prisoners because they are all subject to you know,
assessments and security checks and behavioral management. So it's not
as easy as managing sentenced prisoners. They're different, and obviously
(02:27):
sentenced prisoners come with a degree of certainty around how
long they're with us for, so that changes the way
our system runs every day, and of course it also
adds to the operational pressures inside those prisons every day
because we have to get people to court, we have
to get people to video links, and their lawyers want
to see them as well.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Yeah, I've no doubt that the fact that such a
large number are on REMAND would also be causing stress because,
as you've just touched on, there's different requirements or different
things that you need to be worried about when you
talk about the prisoners that are on REMAND.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
Well, obviously, Katie, safety and security is first and foremost,
and you know, every prisoner has to be safe, secure
and our primary role is managing that, along with of
course the safety and security of our own staff in
the prison, which is where you know, the challenges at
the moment. But you know, if you look at Darwin
Correctional Center at fourteen hundred and forty prisoners, if I
(03:23):
can be so frank, that makes it one of the
largest prisons in Australia. And as we've spoken about before,
the complexity of we've got a house, we've got a feed,
we've got a launder, we've got a hygiene, we've got
a medical, we've got to you know, manage the needs
of those fourteen hundred people in a secure environment. That
makes it quite a large logistical exercise. Now the same
(03:46):
in Alice Springs. Since we last spoke Katie, we've lifted
the population in Alice Springs through you know, work locally
to get that up to seven hundred and thirty prisoners.
So we've gone inside Alice Springs from six fifty to
seven point thirty and of course new blocks are going
to come online soon down there which will lift that
population higher. Now against the backdrop of all of that,
(04:09):
and the Bremer Correctional Center, as you mentioned, has come
online since Christmas, and I think we need to remember
what an achievement that has been by our teams. You know,
we've essentially turned that old youth detention center into a
new operating prison and we've got one hundred and twelve
prisoners in there today, Katie. That's an enormous achievement. Our
(04:31):
team have, you know, absolutely busting themselves around the clock
and right through the Christmas period to make that work.
So you know, there's a lot of pressure, but our
team have stepped up to the challenge.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Commissioner, what about the youth detention facility? How ful is
it at the moment?
Speaker 1 (04:47):
From memory, Katie, I think we've got about forty in
Holts and another dozen or so in Alice Springs. We've
been commencing and working through the transfer of youth from
Alice Springs up to Darlin, which is why you're seeing
that grow in Holts, and our team are also working
to settle in and operationalize that new facility out at Holts,
(05:07):
which as you remember, has had its challenges, but the
team again working hard to do their best. We still
continue to see young people reminded in Alice Springs, which
is why that number we're juggling that every day, and
of course young people who are apprehended in Alice Springs
we still need to take those into custody. But the
work on converting the paperbark facility down the road to
(05:29):
our new youth center has commenced and that'll continue through
the next couple of months.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Now, in terms of how you're managing these huge numbers,
have we got a situation where there are up to
sixteen people in cells? And can you give our listeners
a bit of context when it comes to the number
of people in cells and how you manage that.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Yeah, well, there's been a bit of commentary Katie about
different numbers in different cells, and that's not a new thing.
So yes, the short answer is, we do have cells
and dormantes, both in the watchhouses and in Alice Springs
and Darwin for that matter, with large numbers of people
in them. You know, we've got dormitories that have sixteen
(06:11):
prisoners in them in prisons, but we also have watchhouses
that have large numbers of people with mattresses on the floor. Now,
that's not a desirable situation, of course, and I've always
said I don't want to be in watchhouse and I
don't want to be in watchouses any more than I
need to be. But it's a necessity at the moment.
You know, you can't just simply manage the prison population
(06:31):
growth just by jamming more people into the existing infrastructure,
because we'll end up with a problem. So that's why
we're in watchhouses. We understand that that's a critical risk
for us and for you know, the operations of those
watch houses. But our staff are doing the best they
can to make it work. And you know, we need
to remember that watchhouses aren't designed for long term holes.
(06:52):
We get that, but we are still there managing their
daily needs. We provide three meals a day. You know,
they've all got betting, they've all got laundry, they've all
got clothing, and we're admitting them into the main centers
as space has become available.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
So in Catherine, that Catherine Watchhouse is now being utilized
by corrections as well, isn't it. But do you have
staff there?
Speaker 1 (07:15):
No, And the short answer is the Catherine situation has
been a relatively new problem over the last couple of weeks.
Now we know that police were engaging in their significant,
high profile activity down in Catherine, that's their job, and
as a result has been a round up of people
on ramand down in Catherine. Now we've worked hard over
(07:37):
the last couple of weeks to try and distill some
of those prisoners up to Palmerston and then into holts
where we can. But you've also got the competing pressures
of continued inflows in the Darwin metro area. So Catherine
at the moment is a bit of a staging spot.
We know that that's the number one concern of police
at the moment, and we're working hard on that. We
(07:57):
aren't able to provide correction staff and then we don't
have a footprint in Catherine, and to be quite frank,
you know, I'm absolutely stretched with our offices across Darwin
providing coverage to the sites we do have, so we're
grateful that the police are helping us out in that front.
It's a problem that the Commissioner and I are talking
about pretty much every day, and I've given him a
commitment that will distill prisoners from Catherine as quickly as
(08:21):
we possibly can. But it's a checker game, you o, Katie,
with pieces of the puzzle moving all over the place.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Commissioner. There's been claims that prisoners in watchhouses don't have
adequate drinking water. The ABC reckons that they only have
bubblers attached to toilets. Is that the case.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
Look, I was asked that question yesterday and short answer
is no. We provide food and water, and there are
stainless steel prison toilets in both prisons and watchhouses that
are a single unit, Katie. Now, if you google these
you'll see them online. There's lots of different manufacturers that
produce is you know, all around the country. It's a
(09:03):
it's a toilet with a handbasin and a bubbler. It's
a stainless steel prison unit. It's installed in watchhouses and cells.
It's not new. But I was in the watch houses.
I've been in the watchouses a bit really and and
you know, we're providing food. We provide meals, we provide
cups of tea, you know we I don't really think
(09:23):
there's a concern there, to be honest with you. There
was a claim that one of the blood bubblers was blocked.
If it was, we've probably fixed it. I think it's
a bit of a non issue, to be honest.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
So I mean, what do you make of the claims
of people saying that it's you know, that it's a
human rights issue and that there you know, there should
be a situation where they've they've got more adequate water.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Well, I guess the first thing I'd say, they've got
adequate water. But people are you know, there's people's jobs
to hold me to account and what we do. But
at the end of the day, I'm running the best
prison system we possibly can with an increase in numbers
that would stretch any jurisdiction. Our job is to make
sure we're doing what we can with what we've got.
(10:09):
People will criticize at the end of the day, I
just can't focus on that. I've got to get on
with the job of making sure these prisoners and my
staff are safe and secure.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Well, let's talk about those stuff. How are they coping
at the moment, because by the sounds of things, you know,
it is, like you said, it's like a moving puzzle
that you're trying to you know, you're trying to juggle everything.
How are the staffing numbers going and how are they coping?
Speaker 1 (10:32):
Yeah, look, our staff. Look, I'm really proud of our
staff and what they're doing every day. They're hard working,
they're doing the best they can in what are really
tough circumstances and often operating behind the scenes in terms
of you know, making the prison system work seven days
a week now. Of course, we're short, and I've always
been pretty plain about that. We're continuing to recruit. There's
(10:55):
forty officers in training at the moment. We're continuing the
work on how we redistribute workforce around the system. Our
officers are working over time. They're stressed, you know, they
asked me lots of hard questions. And I was talking
with the United Workers' Union secretary just last night and
I'll be meeting with them again today at the end
(11:15):
of the day. Though, our job is to solve problems.
Our staff are helping us solve those problems. But we'll
continue to move the chess pieces around as best we can.
The unfortunate part of this whole scenario is we don't
get to decide how many people come to prison, so
our staff are just turning up and making it work.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
The Chief Minister had told us that one of the
largest ever intakes of recruits have started their training to
become corrections officers. How big an impact or how positive
I guess is that going to be what they're able
to get cracking and get into the job.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
Well, look, you know, it's a big positive for us.
We've got thirty one new officers that commenced on Monday,
I think what might have been Tuesday with the public holiday,
and then we've got another I think eleven experienced officers
currently in training. We've got more experienced officer courses coming
into play in the next couple of weeks and in
through February and March. I've always said, Katie, we need
(12:13):
more officers. We're going to continue to recruit, and you know,
we've got the challenges there of a growing system as well.
I guess the point i'd make in you know, I
don't want to sugarcoat this, but as we recruit, you know,
we're continuing to grow the agency as well. So the
headwinds are against us. But I'm really happy that we've
got thirty one new officers in training as of Tuesday,
(12:36):
and they've got an eleven week course ahead of them
before they're out on the roster, probably by about Easter.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
Now, Commissioner, before I let you go, the ABC again
reporting this morning that an independent politicians raised human rights
concerns with the United Nations over what they've described as
terrible jail conditions in the Northern Territory. My understanding is
that Yinya Guyoula has indeed written to the United Nations
Special Rapperteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to visit
(13:04):
the Northern Territory's asking him asking them to come to
the Northern Territory and have a look at the jails.
I mean, would you welcome.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
That well, yes, of course, and we welcome all the
oversight that we're subject to. This is not new for us.
We have oversight by the Ombudsmen, we have oversight by
the courts and the legal fraternity. You know, we have
an inspection by the Ombudsman pretty regularly. We have an
official visitors program where independent people come into the prisons,
(13:35):
have a look around and provide reports to our Minister
at the end of the day. That is not new
for us. But should other people want to come and
ask me hard questions, then my job is to answer them.
And you know, I'm just going to keep going and
doing the best I can for territoriums Well.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
Corrections Commissioner Matthew Varley, we always appreciate your time. I
know you're incredibly busy at the moment. We appreciate the
work of the correction staff as well. I know it
cannot be an easy job, particularly at this point in
time when you've got four hundred extra prisoners than what
you had in August last year. So thank you very
much for having a chat with us today.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
Thanks Katie, and thanks to our staff out there. It's
not just the uniform staff as well. It's our clinicians,
our probation and prole officers, our youth justice workers. There's
a lot of people who make this system work every
day and they're doing the best they can for the territory.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Matthew Varley, thanks so much for having a chat this morning.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
All the best, Katie thinks.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
Thank you.
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