Cessnock POVB industrial action – a united outcome

Following the industrial action undertaken by Cessnock Prison Officers Vocational Branch (POVB) in response to the inadequate sentencing of an inmate who violently assaulted four correctional officers, the state executive made the decision for all locations statewide to withdraw labour and support this action.

The inmate initially received a three-year non-custodial sentence, which sparked widespread outrage. The media coverage reached an unprecedented level, drawing attention from the government and Corrective Services, and the community strongly voiced that the outcome did not pass the “pub test.”

As a result of this pressure, the Commissioner advocated for the Director of Public Prosecutions to appeal the sentence. Upon appeal, the inmate was imposed with a custodial sentence of two years and nine months.

This outcome demonstrates what can be achieved when we stand united.

It is important to acknowledge that Non-Custodial Employees also supported our action across various locations, and we extend our sincere thanks to everyone who stood with us.

Metropolitan Special Programs Centre and Long Bay Risk Intervention Team dispute

• Corrective Services NSW (CSNSW) notified the PSA of its intention to cease filling unfunded roles (RIT posts) on overtime from 1 December.
• In response, MSPC and Long Bay implemented industrial bans starting 1 December.
• CSNSW lodged a dispute regarding the daily filling of unfunded RIT positions on overtime at Metropolitan Special Programs Centre (MSPC) and Long Bay Correctional Centres.
• The matter was referred to the Industrial Relations Commission (IRC).

CSNSW position:

• Sought a directive from the IRC requiring each sub-branch to rescind their motions and return to normal duties.

POVB position:

• Offered to rescind its motion while consultation and potential time-and-motion studies were undertaken.
• CSNSW declined this offer; Executive Officers continue to cover posts on overtime in the posts CSNSW deemed unnecessary.

IRC recommendations:

• Allow sub-branch motions to stand.
• CSNSW to undertake a time-and-motion study of RITs.
• Each sub-branch to prepare a submission on RIT resourcing requirements.
• Actions to be completed by 16 December.
• Report back to IRC is scheduled for 18 December at 2:00 pm.
• Ongoing consultation within each sub-branch.

 Inmate Disciplinary Process

 The POVB/PSA advocated for Legislative changes to be presented to NSW Parliament regarding the standard of proof for inmate disciplinary process to be changed from the criminal standard of “beyond reasonable doubt” to the correct civil standard of “balance of probability”. The government agreed to create a bill containing these amendments and the bill passed both houses and was assented to on 26 November 2025.  From that date onwards, the standard of proof is to be determined on the balance of probabilities.

The POVB have not rescinded our motion regarding the hearing of disciplinary charges and will continue to not complete misconducts when acting up until further training is provided.

Hidden Incident Reporting Modules

The recent motion from delegates to management highlighted the issue of Incident Reporting Modules (IRM) deletions intended to protect officers in certain situations.

The POVB believes there should be a requirement that IRMs remain visible, with appropriate information available for general viewing—specifically the incident date, location, and incident type within the Incident Summary—while censoring involved parties for privacy.

Having this information fully hidden creates a safety risk for POVB members.

Consultation is currently taking place with CSNSW to rectify this matter as a matter of urgency.

Roles and responsibilities at Geoffery Pearce and Mary Wade Correctional Centres

Representatives from the POVB executive, along with local delegates, have attended Geoffrey Pearce and Mary Wade Correctional Centres to establish roles and responsibilities and update post duties into the Statement of Duties format.

The rollout of roles and responsibilities across the remaining centres will continue and is scheduled for completion in the New Year.

Casual-to-ongoing process

A reminder to all casuals that the process by which Casual Officers can transition into permanent positions by applying through the link to Success factors Expressing an Interest in ongoing roles, which can be found HERE.

Section 24 (One Escorting Officer)

Protocols provided following delegates to management motion

As a result of a motion passed at the Delegates to Management Meetings, CSNSW has recently provided the protocols for implementation, which can be found HERE.

Where there is only one officer maintaining the escort, the officer may leave the inmate unattended for a period that must not exceed 20 minutes to use amenities (i.e. toilet or meal room to re-heat food). The officer must inform the NUM or Nurse-in-Charge prior to departing; however, the officer continues to have complete responsibility for guarding and the security of the inmate. When not in the company of an officer, the inmate may (if necessary) be secured to base of the hospital bed with handcuffs.

Shortland Correctional Centre: model change and WHS Action

CSNSW has provided feedback to Shortland Correctional Centre regarding its intention to transition from a Hybrid 8/12-hour model to a standard 8-hour model.

Shortland POVB, together with PSA Industrial Officers, is currently preparing a case to be presented in the Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) regarding this matter.

Facility maintenance update
Facility Maintenance staff recently met with Acting Director Andrew Jarrett to discuss concerns in an open forum. These meetings will now occur every six months.

For any issues requiring attention, please contact Gareth Ballard at

Colleagues not receiving bulletins
If you know a fellow PSA member who is not receiving bulletins, ask them to log in at www.membership.psa.asn.au using their membership number and password. If they don’t have a password, they can generate a new one on the same page.
Once logged in, they should scroll down to Communication Preferences and ensure that Main Members List is ticked.

POVB misconduct matters

Just a reminder for those unfortunates enough to receive misconduct letters the following process should be followed

To better assist POVB members who are accused of misconduct by Corrective Services NSW, we have established a new way to receive assistance from your union.

If you or anyone you work with receives a misconduct allegation, please send that allegation to 

Subbranch meetings

If subbranches wish the state executive to attend your location, please just send us an invitation.

I would personally like to thank the entire state executive and all local delegates across the state for your dedication and the countless hours you invest to make a real difference—often in your own time, and especially through these challenging periods. Your commitment is the backbone of our union. Without you, we simply would not exist. Thank you.

This year has been an especially difficult one, marked by the loss of many valued past and present officers. Our thoughts are with their families as we move into the festive season.

On behalf of the state executive, I extend our warmest wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. To those who will be working throughout the Christmas period, please take care and stay safe.

On behalf of the state executive

Darren King POVB State Executive Chair