Simon Power
National Party Law & Order Spokesman

23 November 2006

Corrections should come clean on staff cuts

The Corrections Department should come clean to its employees about its cost-cutting plans at head office, says National’s Law & Order spokesman, Simon Power.

“It seems there are two versions around of what is supposed to be happening.”

Mr Power is issuing documents released under the Official Information Act that show:

• A document circulated to the senior management team, dated 12 May, says one of the project deliverables is to outline where savings can be made, including ‘where staff numbers can be reduced’.
• An email from Chief Executive Barry Matthews to all employees on 24 May says the review ‘is not about cutting costs or reducing staff numbers’.
• A letter by Corrections General Manager Mike Martelli told the PSA and the Corrections Association that ‘This review should not be regarded as a cost cutting exercise’.

“This looks like more total Corrections confusion to me.

“Even the department’s own officials advocate a ‘clear and transparent’ communications strategy to mitigate the risk of unsettling staff.

“It is any wonder the prison construction budget has blown out by $490 million when this department’s right hand doesn’t know what its left hand is doing?

“How Minister Damien O’Connor can keep claiming it has not been a bad year for the department, just shows how little he knows about what is going on.”

Ends

© Scoop Media