Community
29 April, 2026
Big turnout expected for rally
Hundreds of people are expected to head to Belmore Park in Goulburn on Thursday night to protest against major changes at the Goulburn Correctional Centre.
Hundreds of people are expected to head to Belmore Park in Goulburn on Thursday night to protest against major changes at the Goulburn Correctional Centre.
The NSW Government is planning to close four wings at the correctional centre in September and to relocate prisoners elsewhere.
It is a move that some people claim will decimate Goulburn’s economy.
One of the speakers at Thursday’s rally will be Member for Goulburn, Wendy Tuckerman, who has been a vocal critic of the NSW Government’s decision.
She wants money spent bringing the Goulburn Correctional Centre up to modern standards given its importance not only to Goulburn but to the entire region.
In the latest development, Mrs Tuckerman has expressed disappointment over the failure of Corrective Services Minister Anoulack Chanthivong to personally respond to her correspondence on the closure of four Victoria-era wings at the correctional centre.
Instead, he asked Corrective Services NSW (CSNSW) to respond on his behalf.
In a letter received on Tuesday (April 28), Director Parliamentary and Executive Services Jeremy Tucker said the decision to close the four wings had been made after “careful consideration”.
“CSNSW focuses on the utilisation of facilities that are fit for purpose, meet modern standards and support the safety and well-being of both staff and inmates,” Mr Tucker said.
“The proposed closure of the Victorian-era wings reflects infrastructure considerations including that these facilities are heritage listed, which significantly limits the scope for refurbishment or alteration required to meet modern correctional standards for safety and inmate well-being.”
Mr Tucker said CSNSW recognised the impact this decision would have on inmates, correctional staff and communities which support the facility.
“A structured six-month consultation period is currently underway for impacted staff, with available options for employment and staff preferences to be considered as part of this process. While staff will have the opportunity to transfer to other facilities at grade, no staff member will be forced to relocate from the Goulburn area.”
He said CSNSW would continue to engage with ‘relevant stakeholders’ as the consultation progresses.
While Mrs Tuckerman has previously met with the Minister face to face – along with Goulburn-Mulwaree mayor Nina Dillion and Wingecarribee mayor Jess Fitzpatrick – she said “lots of questions were asked but not many answered”.
She said the correctional centre would continue to be a part of Goulburn in some capacity, but its future was uncertain.
At its April 21 meeting Goulburn-Mulwaree Council called on the NSW Government to “immediately pause any proposed changes until genuine consultation has occurred and all alternative options have been properly examined”.
Mayor Nina Dillon said any reduction in services or staffing levels at the correctional centre “would have an immediate and detrimental economic impact including job losses, reduced household income, declining local business activity and potential population decline”.
“Council is deeply concerned about the broader flow-on impacts for Goulburn-Mulwaree, including pressure on local businesses, reduced demand for housing and rental accommodation, declining enrolments in schools and increased uncertainty for families who have made long-term commitments to this community based on the presence of stable employment at the Correctional Centre,” Cr Dillon said.
“These impacts would be felt not only in Goulburn itself but throughout the region.”
Cr Dillion said there had been no consultation with council, with corrections staff or with the community prior to the decision being made.
She said such an approach was “unacceptable”.
As previously reported by The Southern Wire, closure of the four Victorian-era wings at Goulburn has been on the cards for at least four years.
The recommendation to close the wings was made by the Inspector of Custodial Services, Fiona Rafter, in a 2022 report following an inspection of the centre in 2021.
She said the wings, opened in 1884, could not provide conditions “consistent with a modern correctional environment and conducive to offer rehabilitation, making it unfit-for purpose”.
“Moreover, as we witnessed, custodial staff do not feel safe working in this environment and this in turn makes it an unsafe working environment for inmates and staff,” she said
· Thursday’s rally will take place in Belmore Park between 4pm and 5.30pm.
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