An emergency hearing is currently taking place to compel prison officers in New South Wales to resume their duties following a mass walkout. The strike was sparked by dissatisfaction over what officers describe as a lenient punishment for an inmate who attacked four staff members.

Correctional officers at Cessnock and Bathurst facilities initiated the protest, and their colleagues across the state’s 36 other prisons are anticipated to join the movement.

This mass walkout threatens to disrupt operations at Local, District, and Supreme courts, and will result in inmates being confined to their cells due to the absence of supervision.

The union highlighted that the inmate, Welsh, has a record of violent behavior, having been detained in 2023 for assaulting two individuals with a baseball bat in the Hunter region.

“This sends a dangerous message that attacking prison officers carries little consequence, effectively allowing offenders to re-enter society without appropriate penalties,” stated Nicole Jess, president of the Public Service Association.

Jess, who is also a certified prison officer, expressed her concern over the implications of this incident for both staff safety and community security.

“In giving Mr Welsh a slap on the wrist, this magistrate has delivered a slap in the face to every prison officer in this state who keep our community safe from those who’ve forfeited their right to walk amongst us,” she said.

“Prison officers are absolutely livid about this and expect immediate action from the Minns government.”

Public Service Association general secretary Stewart Little said he was shocked at the magistrate’s ruling.

“My phone has gone into meltdown, I’ve had prison officers ringing me all day, absolutely incandescent with rage at the signal this magistrate has sent to the community.

“The attorney-general better get himself out of whatever meeting or media opportunity or announcement he’s currently engaged in and get this solved or else the state’s prison system is going to go into meltdown.”

“Correctional Services across NSW are secure and safe. We have skeleton staff on the ground providing all the essential services to keep prisoners within the system safe,” Deputy Minister for Corrections Services Leon Taylor said.

“Inmates will be locked in cells for the duration of the industrial action.

“We need our boots on the ground to keep the system operating and to keep prisoners and staff safe.”

The NSW opposition said the government had lost the trust of the prison workforce.

“When the people who keep our prisons safe say they’ve lost faith in the government, it’s a damning indictment on leadership,” Opposition Leader Mark Speakman said.

“This strike is not about pay, it’s about safety, respect, and a government that has stopped listening.”