1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,080 Speaker 1: A bit of a change of pace right now. We 2 00:00:02,160 --> 00:00:05,360 Speaker 1: have been talking of course about Parliament and what's going 3 00:00:05,360 --> 00:00:07,240 Speaker 1: on in there, but we also know that the first 4 00:00:07,360 --> 00:00:10,799 Speaker 1: intake of trainee correctional offices for twenty twenty six is 5 00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:14,560 Speaker 1: officially started with the Northern Territory Department of Corrections. Now 6 00:00:14,680 --> 00:00:18,520 Speaker 1: forty trainees from the territory, from interstate and overseas. They 7 00:00:18,520 --> 00:00:21,000 Speaker 1: were all welcome to the training college at the Darwin 8 00:00:21,040 --> 00:00:26,160 Speaker 1: Correction Center, alongside eleven experienced officers from Australia, New Zealand 9 00:00:26,239 --> 00:00:29,000 Speaker 1: and the UK. Now joining me on the show to 10 00:00:29,040 --> 00:00:33,080 Speaker 1: talk more about this is the Corrections Commissioner, Matthew Varley. 11 00:00:33,159 --> 00:00:33,839 Speaker 1: Good morning to. 12 00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:35,960 Speaker 2: You, Good Akatie and good morning to your listeners. 13 00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:38,400 Speaker 1: Good to have you in the studio now, Commissioner, what 14 00:00:38,479 --> 00:00:41,560 Speaker 1: kind of training do these trainee correctional officers sort of cover? 15 00:00:42,120 --> 00:00:45,400 Speaker 3: Well, there's an eleven week initial training program for our 16 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:49,040 Speaker 3: brand new recruits, and our experienced officers undertake a shorter 17 00:00:49,159 --> 00:00:51,840 Speaker 3: version of that. It's a more of a local procedures course. 18 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:54,280 Speaker 3: But for our baseline recruits they come in and do 19 00:00:54,480 --> 00:00:57,360 Speaker 3: eleven weeks in the college and then they do a 20 00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:01,600 Speaker 3: period of supported mentored shadowing in the prisons before they 21 00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:04,800 Speaker 3: hit the roster, and then there's twelve months worth of 22 00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:07,360 Speaker 3: on the job training leading to that certificate three at 23 00:01:07,360 --> 00:01:07,640 Speaker 3: the end. 24 00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:10,800 Speaker 1: Yeah right, So look, it's quite extensive by the sounds 25 00:01:10,800 --> 00:01:10,920 Speaker 1: of it. 26 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:11,559 Speaker 2: Twelve months. 27 00:01:11,640 --> 00:01:15,440 Speaker 3: Yeah, absolutely, it's a certificate qualification that's issued by our college. 28 00:01:15,480 --> 00:01:17,640 Speaker 2: But throughout that period we cover. 29 00:01:17,480 --> 00:01:22,160 Speaker 3: Things like operational safety, communication techniques, the escalation techniques and 30 00:01:22,200 --> 00:01:25,200 Speaker 3: of course through to emergency proceeds, even down to how 31 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:27,040 Speaker 3: to evacuate during a fire. So there's a lot of 32 00:01:27,120 --> 00:01:30,200 Speaker 3: stuff that they cover. Our instructors out at the college 33 00:01:30,240 --> 00:01:33,280 Speaker 3: do a cracking job. But you're right, Katie. We had 34 00:01:33,600 --> 00:01:38,480 Speaker 3: forty trainees commenced last Monday, sorry Monday week ago, and 35 00:01:38,520 --> 00:01:42,440 Speaker 3: another eleven experienced laterals from other jurisdictions, including our first 36 00:01:42,480 --> 00:01:45,520 Speaker 3: brit And that was really cool because we've been working 37 00:01:45,560 --> 00:01:49,120 Speaker 3: for a while to get Northern Territory corrections on the 38 00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:52,560 Speaker 3: skills list for overseas migration. We've done that and our 39 00:01:52,600 --> 00:01:55,680 Speaker 3: team are seeing some interest from the UK And. 40 00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:58,240 Speaker 1: How are the staffing levels looking more generally? You know, 41 00:01:58,320 --> 00:02:02,320 Speaker 1: obviously this is a goodnouncement as in that real boost 42 00:02:02,440 --> 00:02:05,560 Speaker 1: to the staffing numbers in terms of them training up 43 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:07,720 Speaker 1: to be fully fledged correctional officers. But how are the 44 00:02:07,760 --> 00:02:08,840 Speaker 1: staffing numbers looking. 45 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:10,760 Speaker 2: The staffing numbers are going well. 46 00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:14,560 Speaker 3: Obviously, we're still recruiting strongly and we're stabilizing that recruitment 47 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:17,160 Speaker 3: platform as we go through the year. We've probably got 48 00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:21,960 Speaker 3: as of today, Katie, over eight hundred correctional offices on 49 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:24,560 Speaker 3: our books across the territory. Now, if you remember when 50 00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:28,280 Speaker 3: we started talking maybe two odd years ago, we were 51 00:02:28,320 --> 00:02:31,959 Speaker 3: down in the mid six hundreds. So we've grown substantially 52 00:02:32,040 --> 00:02:34,600 Speaker 3: and we've had to do that because we've now got 53 00:02:34,639 --> 00:02:38,920 Speaker 3: Berema Correctional Center fully functional and we're opening up expanded 54 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:41,600 Speaker 3: sites as well. So that growth story has been a 55 00:02:41,600 --> 00:02:44,200 Speaker 3: real focus of ours. Last year we recruited two hundred 56 00:02:44,240 --> 00:02:47,399 Speaker 3: new officers. This year we'll keep going strong well. 57 00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:50,120 Speaker 1: And the thing is the prison population has been growing 58 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:52,760 Speaker 1: as well. How those numbers looking of things sort of 59 00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:55,240 Speaker 1: settled a little or are they continuing to grow? 60 00:02:55,840 --> 00:02:58,639 Speaker 3: No, they're continuing to grow and we expected that. We 61 00:02:58,880 --> 00:03:02,800 Speaker 3: saw a re acceleration over the Christmas, New Year festive 62 00:03:02,840 --> 00:03:05,680 Speaker 3: silly season and the police were out in force as 63 00:03:05,720 --> 00:03:08,680 Speaker 3: we all expect them to be, so as of I 64 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:11,440 Speaker 3: think yesterday we were at a record high, and that's 65 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:15,440 Speaker 3: I guess part of our continued story. Two nine hundred 66 00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:18,959 Speaker 3: and fifty prisoners in custody in the Northern Territory, a 67 00:03:19,080 --> 00:03:22,160 Speaker 3: nudge under three thousand, and that extraordinary growth over the 68 00:03:22,160 --> 00:03:25,959 Speaker 3: past two years. We expect to see that continue through 69 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:28,080 Speaker 3: the year, but I hope to see it stabilized. And 70 00:03:28,120 --> 00:03:30,280 Speaker 3: what I mean by stabilize is I want to move 71 00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:33,880 Speaker 3: corrections from the constant bed crisis that we saw about 72 00:03:33,919 --> 00:03:36,520 Speaker 3: a year ago with backups in watchhouses as well to 73 00:03:36,680 --> 00:03:40,320 Speaker 3: a more planned, stabilized, and functional system delivering work and 74 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:42,480 Speaker 3: employment and programs well, because that's. 75 00:03:42,320 --> 00:03:44,080 Speaker 1: A really important part of this, isn't it Is that 76 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:46,680 Speaker 1: you have to make sure that prisoners are being rehabilitated 77 00:03:46,720 --> 00:03:48,280 Speaker 1: while they're there. You know, we want them to come 78 00:03:48,320 --> 00:03:51,560 Speaker 1: out better people, not better criminals. 79 00:03:51,120 --> 00:03:54,160 Speaker 3: Right absolutely, And you know, I think you and I've 80 00:03:54,160 --> 00:03:57,200 Speaker 3: spoken before about that important work, and our staff are 81 00:03:57,240 --> 00:03:59,800 Speaker 3: working really hard. I was in the prison down in 82 00:03:59,800 --> 00:04:03,280 Speaker 3: Our Springs last Thursday, and I have to say it 83 00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:06,720 Speaker 3: was functioning well. It was probably the most unlocked I've 84 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:08,520 Speaker 3: seen it in a long time. And what I mean 85 00:04:08,560 --> 00:04:10,520 Speaker 3: by that is I went into our high security block. 86 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:13,280 Speaker 3: Our staff were there. We were doing musters and having 87 00:04:13,320 --> 00:04:15,960 Speaker 3: a look at prisoners. Sport and requ was back underway. 88 00:04:16,200 --> 00:04:19,880 Speaker 3: There were prisoners playing guitar and basketball. And we know 89 00:04:20,240 --> 00:04:24,640 Speaker 3: that our programs, our clinical assessments and our education training 90 00:04:24,680 --> 00:04:28,200 Speaker 3: services with CDU have accelerated through the last part of 91 00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:30,799 Speaker 3: last year. So you know, just to give your listeners 92 00:04:30,839 --> 00:04:33,160 Speaker 3: a perspective on any average day, and we did this 93 00:04:33,240 --> 00:04:35,680 Speaker 3: math the other day, there's a thousand prisoners in the 94 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:39,400 Speaker 3: Northern Territory doing some kind of employment on an average day. 95 00:04:40,320 --> 00:04:43,240 Speaker 3: We know that we have about four hundred and fifty 96 00:04:43,279 --> 00:04:47,680 Speaker 3: prisoners that have completed education, training, qualifications and courses over 97 00:04:47,720 --> 00:04:51,480 Speaker 3: the six months to thirty one December. And you know, 98 00:04:51,560 --> 00:04:54,400 Speaker 3: all behind the scenes, we're still feeding people, we're still 99 00:04:54,440 --> 00:04:58,360 Speaker 3: getting them to court, we're still conducting visits, you know, 100 00:04:58,400 --> 00:04:59,880 Speaker 3: and we've got people being. 101 00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:01,240 Speaker 2: Escorted all over the place. 102 00:05:01,320 --> 00:05:04,480 Speaker 3: So it's a big, complex, twenty four to seven system, Katie, 103 00:05:04,520 --> 00:05:06,000 Speaker 3: but it's improving, Commissioner. 104 00:05:06,240 --> 00:05:08,560 Speaker 1: Look what's it like for you? I mean a thousand, 105 00:05:08,839 --> 00:05:11,880 Speaker 1: one thousand people doing some kind of employment within the 106 00:05:11,920 --> 00:05:15,599 Speaker 1: correction's facilities at the moment. You know, what's it like 107 00:05:15,680 --> 00:05:18,200 Speaker 1: for you as the commissioner, working like then being out 108 00:05:18,240 --> 00:05:20,760 Speaker 1: in the community. Right, do those people then when they 109 00:05:20,839 --> 00:05:23,920 Speaker 1: get out, do you see them out in jobs and 110 00:05:23,960 --> 00:05:27,120 Speaker 1: out working in the community when they're released? And if 111 00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:29,120 Speaker 1: you do, like, do you feel pretty happy then to 112 00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:31,320 Speaker 1: see that they've been able to integrate in the community 113 00:05:31,480 --> 00:05:33,000 Speaker 1: or is it not happening? 114 00:05:33,120 --> 00:05:34,640 Speaker 2: No, No, it's absolutely happening. 115 00:05:35,200 --> 00:05:37,360 Speaker 3: Obviously, we still have a lot of work to do 116 00:05:37,400 --> 00:05:39,560 Speaker 3: in that space, Katie. Yesterday I walked down the street 117 00:05:39,560 --> 00:05:42,120 Speaker 3: Mitchell Street. Obviously I walk about town doing my work, 118 00:05:42,160 --> 00:05:46,200 Speaker 3: and a young fellow Will passed and said, get a boss. 119 00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:49,640 Speaker 3: They obviously recognize the uniform. But I think what I'm 120 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:53,800 Speaker 3: most proud of is that our staff turn up every 121 00:05:53,880 --> 00:05:56,880 Speaker 3: day and they're making a difference. And what you'll see 122 00:05:56,920 --> 00:05:59,599 Speaker 3: this year, I think, Katie, is some really exciting changes 123 00:05:59,640 --> 00:06:03,120 Speaker 3: in correctctions about how we're growing our employment, how we're 124 00:06:03,160 --> 00:06:07,080 Speaker 3: growing our community service work parties. And also we're going 125 00:06:07,120 --> 00:06:10,760 Speaker 3: to make some announcements soon about a new employment service 126 00:06:10,800 --> 00:06:13,000 Speaker 3: that we're going to be launching, and that is specifically 127 00:06:13,040 --> 00:06:15,440 Speaker 3: about getting people into jobs when they leave custody. 128 00:06:15,720 --> 00:06:17,800 Speaker 1: I think it's important. I think it's really important that 129 00:06:17,800 --> 00:06:20,040 Speaker 1: that work happens, so that, like I said, people come 130 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:22,000 Speaker 1: out and you know, they're able to re enter the 131 00:06:22,040 --> 00:06:26,000 Speaker 1: workforce and hopefully become better people. Commissioner, I want to 132 00:06:26,040 --> 00:06:29,039 Speaker 1: take you to a pretty extraordinary statement that you sent 133 00:06:29,080 --> 00:06:31,719 Speaker 1: out last week. You wanted to put some facts on 134 00:06:31,760 --> 00:06:34,320 Speaker 1: the record refuting some of the things put in the 135 00:06:34,360 --> 00:06:38,440 Speaker 1: media recently, will certainly put in a report by the 136 00:06:38,600 --> 00:06:41,840 Speaker 1: Children's Commissioner. Why did you feel the need to do that, 137 00:06:41,880 --> 00:06:44,600 Speaker 1: Why did you feel the need to put these you know, 138 00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:45,839 Speaker 1: to put this statement out? 139 00:06:46,160 --> 00:06:49,719 Speaker 3: Yeah, Katie, I think let me say first that I've 140 00:06:50,080 --> 00:06:53,360 Speaker 3: spoken to the Children's Commissioner since that and we've talked 141 00:06:53,360 --> 00:06:55,880 Speaker 3: through a number of our concerns on both sides. And 142 00:06:55,920 --> 00:06:58,080 Speaker 3: I understand the Children's Commissioner has a job to do, 143 00:06:58,120 --> 00:06:59,919 Speaker 3: but so do I and so do our youth justice 144 00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:03,680 Speaker 3: and I think it's really important that the community understands 145 00:07:03,760 --> 00:07:07,279 Speaker 3: the very difficult but exceptional job that our youth justice 146 00:07:07,320 --> 00:07:11,920 Speaker 3: workers do every day. And some of the recommendations in 147 00:07:11,960 --> 00:07:16,200 Speaker 3: that report, we just felt that they are unworkable, They were. 148 00:07:16,040 --> 00:07:18,000 Speaker 2: Too aspirational, and they were too absolute. 149 00:07:18,080 --> 00:07:21,280 Speaker 3: Now what I mean by that is the Children's Commissioner 150 00:07:21,320 --> 00:07:23,680 Speaker 3: asked me to commit to doing things that I just 151 00:07:23,720 --> 00:07:26,760 Speaker 3: could not practically deliver up like what well, for example, 152 00:07:26,960 --> 00:07:31,520 Speaker 3: contacting and making sure we had successfully contacted the families 153 00:07:31,520 --> 00:07:33,960 Speaker 3: of young people in Alice Springs before we transferred them 154 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:37,480 Speaker 3: to Darwin. Now I've been quite clear about this. We're 155 00:07:37,560 --> 00:07:41,080 Speaker 3: running a single youth detention center in Holtz. It's a 156 00:07:41,080 --> 00:07:43,880 Speaker 3: brand new facility. We all know about that. It's the 157 00:07:43,880 --> 00:07:46,360 Speaker 3: most modern one in Australia. And we've made a decision 158 00:07:46,400 --> 00:07:48,760 Speaker 3: that young people who are committed to custody from Alice 159 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:52,040 Speaker 3: Springs will be received into our custody in Alice and 160 00:07:52,040 --> 00:07:55,840 Speaker 3: then transferred at the first available opportunity to Darwin. That's fine. 161 00:07:56,280 --> 00:07:59,000 Speaker 3: The issue is we make contact with families, we try 162 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:01,880 Speaker 3: to contact next to but here's the reality, Katie. Our 163 00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:04,440 Speaker 3: staff do their best, but people are not picking up 164 00:08:04,440 --> 00:08:07,800 Speaker 3: the phones. Numbers are disconnected. And my question is, well, 165 00:08:07,960 --> 00:08:11,600 Speaker 3: why aren't families involved in their child's case earlier in 166 00:08:11,640 --> 00:08:13,760 Speaker 3: the in the in the in the game, before it 167 00:08:13,760 --> 00:08:15,560 Speaker 3: gets to the point where we're putting them on a plane. 168 00:08:16,040 --> 00:08:18,840 Speaker 3: And that's really been my issue is I can't commit 169 00:08:18,880 --> 00:08:21,600 Speaker 3: to notifying a family because often there's not someone to 170 00:08:21,760 --> 00:08:24,440 Speaker 3: notify properly or see certainly in a timely manner. 171 00:08:24,520 --> 00:08:26,680 Speaker 1: Now, I know that you said the period that the 172 00:08:26,880 --> 00:08:30,760 Speaker 1: Children's Commissioner used a historical transitional period of twenty three 173 00:08:30,800 --> 00:08:34,680 Speaker 1: to twenty four risks giving a distorted picture that does 174 00:08:34,720 --> 00:08:39,319 Speaker 1: not reflect the professionalism, integrity, and genuine care shown by 175 00:08:39,360 --> 00:08:42,319 Speaker 1: your Youth Justice staff. What were some of the things 176 00:08:42,360 --> 00:08:45,120 Speaker 1: that you know that you were sort of most worried. 177 00:08:44,800 --> 00:08:48,839 Speaker 2: About with that? Well, that is true and I stand 178 00:08:48,840 --> 00:08:49,160 Speaker 2: by that. 179 00:08:49,200 --> 00:08:51,760 Speaker 3: And what I mean by that, Katie, is that review 180 00:08:52,080 --> 00:08:55,199 Speaker 3: was in relation to a period of time when Territory 181 00:08:55,240 --> 00:08:59,640 Speaker 3: Families some two years ago was renovating the then Alice 182 00:08:59,640 --> 00:09:02,280 Speaker 3: Springs Youth Tension Center and we were moving children to 183 00:09:02,400 --> 00:09:06,480 Speaker 3: Darwin while those works underway and that piece of work 184 00:09:06,559 --> 00:09:10,920 Speaker 3: was completed. But the Children's Commissioner likened those circumstances to 185 00:09:10,960 --> 00:09:13,720 Speaker 3: what's going on now with our transfer of young people 186 00:09:13,760 --> 00:09:17,400 Speaker 3: to the new Holtz facility. And my argument was that 187 00:09:17,400 --> 00:09:20,720 Speaker 3: that was a incomplete picture of the scenario that we're 188 00:09:20,760 --> 00:09:24,240 Speaker 3: doing today, and our practices are different, but we don't 189 00:09:24,280 --> 00:09:26,640 Speaker 3: resile or apologize for the fact that we are still 190 00:09:26,640 --> 00:09:29,720 Speaker 3: moving young people. We've been pretty plain about that, and territorians, 191 00:09:29,760 --> 00:09:33,559 Speaker 3: I think expect us to carry out that custody safely 192 00:09:33,600 --> 00:09:36,880 Speaker 3: and securely. And you know, one of the pushbacks that 193 00:09:36,920 --> 00:09:40,199 Speaker 3: I had was around the importance of escorting people safely 194 00:09:40,240 --> 00:09:43,960 Speaker 3: on planes. Now we're doing that every day, But my 195 00:09:44,120 --> 00:09:48,040 Speaker 3: objective is to get those young people onto an aircraft safely, quickly, 196 00:09:48,080 --> 00:09:51,240 Speaker 3: and at minimal risks to the public. I'm less concerned, 197 00:09:51,400 --> 00:09:54,360 Speaker 3: to be honest about the issue of privacy of that 198 00:09:54,440 --> 00:09:55,040 Speaker 3: young person. 199 00:09:55,200 --> 00:09:57,600 Speaker 2: The courts ordered them into my custody. I'm moving them. 200 00:09:57,640 --> 00:09:58,760 Speaker 2: I'll get that done safely. 201 00:09:59,400 --> 00:10:02,319 Speaker 1: Commission Corrections, Matthew Varley, we are going to have to 202 00:10:02,400 --> 00:10:04,240 Speaker 1: leave it there. I'm really sorry, we're so pressed for 203 00:10:04,280 --> 00:10:06,720 Speaker 1: time this morning. Really appreciate you joining me in the 204 00:10:06,720 --> 00:10:09,559 Speaker 1: studio and talking us through some of those different things 205 00:10:09,600 --> 00:10:10,480 Speaker 1: that are going on at the moment. 206 00:10:10,559 --> 00:10:11,880 Speaker 2: Thanks Coatie. Twenty twenty six. 207 00:10:11,960 --> 00:10:13,880 Speaker 1: Big year ahead for us, no doubt about it. Good 208 00:10:13,880 --> 00:10:16,240 Speaker 1: on your commissioner. Thanks so much for your time. Appreciated.