Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke said the NSW Corrections Minister can be left in no doubt about the significant impact that changes to operations at the Junee Correctional Centre may have on the local community, following his first visit to the town.
Ms Cooke welcomed the Minister to the Cootamundra electorate, adding she was grateful the Minister had accepted one of her numerous invitations to Junee. Ms Cooke also thanked the Minister for making time to participate in a meeting she convened with representatives from local organisations and charity groups.
“This was the first time the Minister has consulted with the community on the NSW Labor Government’s surprise decision to de-privatise the Junee Correctional Centre, so today was a welcome opportunity for residents to voice their concerns firsthand with the Minister,” Ms Cooke said.
“During the meeting, the Minister heard directly from locals about the sponsorships that current operator GEO Group provide to our sporting groups and community organisations, as well as the scholarships they award to local students.
“The Minister also heard for himself how the inmates currently prepare hot meals for the local Meals on Wheels service, and how inmates help maintain the parks and gardens in the area, taking pressure off local volunteers, many of whom are older residents in the community.
“The Minister now knows how the current operator supports local businesses – from the bakery to the supermarket, and the butcher shop; in fact the annual spend last year alone by GEO on goods and services in the town was $7.5 million.
“The Minister now knows that should the financial and in-kind support that’s currently provided by GEO Group evaporate when they hand over the reins in 14 months, the social implications are vast, and threaten the very fabric that keeps this community together,” she said.
Ms Cooke said questions relating to staffing, as well as the future classification of the centre were also raised, with the Minister also now aware of the broader implications any decisions relating to those aspects of the centre’s internal operations, may have.
“The Minister offered assurances that he would take all he’s learnt here today on board, and I will certainly be doing all I can to ensure that no one in the Junee community will be left worse-off during and after the operational transition period,” Ms Cooke said.
