Calls for new Prison in South West Queensland to Reduce Overcrowding

Director of Australian Prison Officers Association Brian Newman has called on the Queensland State Government to investigate the possibility of constructing a Corrective Services facility in the South Western Queensland town of Goondiwindi.

Brian Newman said "I am sure there are large parcels of land that would be available for the proposed facility. We believe and we have seen in recent years, the financial and employment gains are beneficial to the surrounding community. Construction of a facility in the Goondiwindi region for example, would also assist with overcrowding in centres within the Brisbane area, but of some significance, it would also address a good deal of those matters raised in the report and recommendations which arose from the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody".

Mr Newman also referred to Indigenous Criminal Justice Research Agenda (ICJRA) 2014 which was prepared by Operational Strategy and Research, Queensland Corrective Services (QCS).

The report stated while only 4% of Australia's population is Indigenous, nearly 30% of the prisoner population and 20% of offenders under community supervision in Queensland are Indigenous.

In calling for a facility at Goondiwindi or that region of Queensland, we anticipate that prisoners would be housed as close as possible to their own community, offenders both Indigenous and non Indigenous from Western Queensland corridor need to be transferred to the coast, being away from community and families certainly does not assist with rehabilitation, Mr Newman proposed the facility not only cater for indigenous but all offenders west of Toowoomba.