Update for Prison Officers

March 27, 2026 Bulletins - POVB

Correspondence was provided to the Corrective Services NSW on 10 March 2026 requesting the Operational management Plans, updated P28s and approved FTEs (funding) for locations that have had surge of beds implemented across the state.

Fourteen days’ notice was provided with no response provided, as such:

State Executive direction, motion and statements

1. Direction to all sub‑branches

The POVB State Executive has issued the following directives:

Stop all negotiations regarding any further inmate surge bed increases.
Formally decline and deactivate all unfunded surge beds as soon as operationally possible.
Return to your approved and funded management plans immediately.

These actions follow sustained pressure to accept additional inmates without corresponding funded posts. This has directly contributed to:

increased lock‑ins
rising tension across centres
record‑high staff assault rates
staffing shortages and operational instability

Upcoming bed closures under the Prison Bed Effectiveness Program will only intensify these pressures. We will not continue absorbing unfunded workloads that compromise staff safety.

2. Motion: Demand for strategic plan

The POVB State Executive has formally demanded that the NSW Government and CSNSW provide the PSA/POVB with the CSNSW Strategic Plan covering:

1‑year (short‑term)
3‑year (medium‑term)
5‑year (long‑term) planning for the custodial system.

This information must be provided within 14 days and must include the commencement of meaningful consultation.

If this deadline is not met:

All sub‑branches will be directed to implement an Overtime and Acting‑Up Ban.
This will also support CSNSW’s required $170 million budget correction, which cannot continue to be achieved through staff exhaustion.

The system is at breaking point

Members have been clear: the current operating environment is unsafe and unsustainable.

Across all centres we are seeing:

chronic understaffing
expectations to absorb increased inmate numbers without additional FTE
daily unfilled posts
reliance on excessive overtime
increased violence and operational risk

Staff goodwill is being eroded. Centres are struggling to function day‑to‑day.

The DCJ Strategic Plan 2026–2031 highlights four pillars:
Visible Leadership, Doing Things Well, Building Capability, Workforce Wellbeing.
CSNSW is currently failing to meet all four.

Rising inmate numbers, falling resources

The POVB acknowledges the Government’s commitment to community safety. However:

Inmate numbers are rising. Resources are not.

This mismatch has resulted in:

increased assaults
higher operational risk
more lock‑ins
fewer programs, visits, and activities for inmates
worsening staff fatigue and burnout
AVL suites included in within CESU locations for Bails Court increasing workloads with no additional resources.

We are calling for an urgent statewide review of staffing levels (FTE).

Many centres are carrying significant unfunded workload, and more than 300 FTE are tied up in special projects—roles desperately needed back on the frontline. If those projects require staffing, the vacancies must be filled immediately.

The bottom line

The POVB will not allow centres to continue absorbing unfunded work that puts staff and inmates at risk.

We expect transparency, genuine consultation, and a strategic plan that addresses the realities on the ground.

Further updates will follow as this matter progresses.

In unity,
Darren King
Chair POVB State Executive
On behalf of the POVB State Executive