Courts & Police
31 March, 2026
Four wings to be closed at Goulburn Correctional Centre
The NSW Government is planning to close four Victorian era wings at the Goulburn Correctional Centre.
The NSW Government is planning to close four Victorian era wings at the Goulburn Correctional Centre.
It says no correctional officers will be forced out of a job due to the changes – but impacted staff “will participate in a six-month consultation process for redeployment”.
Minister for Corrections Anoulack Chanthivong advised Member for Goulburn Wendy Tuckerman of the planned closure on March 23.
Mr Chanthivong said the closure was part of a reform program “that focuses on housing inmates in areas that meet modern requirements and support the safety and well-being of staff and inmates”.
He said Corrective Services NSW would “continue to prioritise ensuring that inmates will receive the appropriate level of care regardless of placement”.
The closure is due to come into effect in September this year.
The Southern Wire understands that approximately 170 inmates will be relocated to other correctional facilities as a result.
Mrs Tuckerman said news of the closure had been received “very poorly” in the Goulburn community.
“The depth of concern reflects not confusion, but a clear sense that the (NSW) Government is choosing withdrawal over investment in a region that has long supported the State’s correctional system”.
Mrs Tuckerman said the Goulburn Correctional Centre was one of the region’s most significant employers.
“Every role within the centre – custodial and non-custodial – contributes to the economic and social stability of the community,” she said in a letter to the Minister.
“These are experienced public servants with deep roots in Goulburn who have built their lives around long-term regional employment.
“While the Government has stated that officers will not be forced to relocate, the reality for many workers is more complex.
“The closure of operational wings carries inevitable consequences – if that’s reduced shifts, diminished overtime or reduced take-home pay.
“In the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, these impacts will directly affect household finances and the broader local community.”
Mrs Tuckerman said the decision to close capacity at the correctional centre rather than invest in refurbishment or replacement “raises significant questions”.
“Goulburn already has the land, the infrastructure footprint and critically the workforce.
“Modernising and refurbishing or replacing existing wings would allow safety and well-being objectives to be met without sacrificing operational capacity or regional employment.”
Given the number of staff at the centre currently on workers’ compensation, Mrs Tuckerman said the Government should invest in safer, modernised facilities and stronger workforce support.
“Reducing capacity risks concentrating pressure on fewer staff and may exacerbate the very wellbeing concerns the government needs to address.”
Mrs Tuckerman urged the Government to reconsider its approach and to give “serious consideration to significant capital funding for the refurbishment and modernisation or replacement of the identified wings”.
“This would represent a prudent use of taxpayer assets, maintain system capacity and demonstrate genuine commitment to regional NSW,” she said.
“The Goulburn community is not asking for special treatment.
“We are asking for common-sense decision-making that recognises the value of an experienced workforce, established infrastructure and the economic role this facility plays in the region.”
The recommendation to close some of the wings at Goulburn Correctional Centre was made by the Inspector of Custodial Services, Fiona Rafter, in a 2022 report following an inspection of the complex in 2021.
“The first recommendation of this report is that Corrective Services NSW develop a plan for the closure of Goulburn CC’s maximum security accommodation and yards,” the Inspector wrote.
“As outlined in this report, this area opened in 1884 making it among the oldest custodial infrastructure still in use in NSW.
“It is difficult to maintain and operate and it would be impossible to refurbish it to a satisfactory standard.
“It cannot provide conditions consistent with a modern correctional environment and conducive to offender 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,” the Inspector wrote.
“I do not make this recommendation lightly and ultimately it is a matter for the NSW Government.
“However, due to its age, the need to close the maximum security area of Goulburn CC seems inevitable – particularly in the context of the significant investment that has been made to construct new maximum security beds in NSW in recent years.
“Planning for this change is essential for ensuring suitable alternative placements for inmates with protection or association issues and for providing staff with some clarity and certainty about their futures.”
The Inspector identified a number of problems with the maximum security area.
“In particular the cells were dark, poorly ventilated, susceptible to extreme temperatures, did not contain showers and had ligature points,” she wrote.
The NSW Government acknowledged that periods of transition could be “challenging” but a spokesperson said it was committed to retaining all staff “and supporting people while they navigate these changes”.
The spokesperson said Corrective Services and the Minister for Corrections would continue to work with the Public Services Association as the changes were implemented.
Major changes will also be made at the Silverwater Women’s Correctional Centre – which was built in 1969 and has been criticised for its dilapidated accommodation cells that contain ligature points.
Corrective Services NSW said it was committed to ensuring the state’s correctional facilities were in the best condition “and have the functional capabilities to meet our high operational standards”.
“Part of that is taking some of the state’s oldest beds offline,” Commissioner of Corrective Services NSW, Gary McMahon said.
“After reviewing prisons around the state, we decided these reforms to our prison infrastructure are necessary to bring the system in line with our focus on operating safe, secure and humane prisons that provide better working conditions for our officers too,” Mr McMahon said.
The Goulburn Correctional Centre was built in 1884 and is known for having housed some of Australia’s most dangerous, high-risk male criminals including bushrangers, terrorists, gang members and convicted murderers.
It is also home to the High Risk Management Correctional Centre – often referred to as ‘Supermax’.
It has been listed on the NSW State Heritage Register since April 1999.
Read More: Goulburn, Southern Tablelands