News
2 May, 2026
Speakers share the same message: ‘Keep up the fight’
Speakers took to the podium at Goulburn’s Belmore Park on Thursday to deliver a very similar message
Speakers took to the podium at Goulburn’s Belmore Park on Thursday to deliver a very similar message – any decision by the NSW Government to close the Goulburn Correctional Centre is ludicrous at best and disastrous at worst.
As predicted, Thursday’s rally attracted hundreds of concerned people including correctional officers, politicians, residents and representatives of the business community.
Their message to the NSW Government was clear and unequivocal: there is no legitimate reason to close the Goulburn Correctional Centre and there is no reason why the Government shouldn’t have consulted with the broader Goulburn community before a decision was made.
The figures at this stage are still blurry.
The Southern Wire has been told that the NSW Government decision will result in the immediate loss of up to 170 jobs.
The impact on the Goulburn economy could be up to $30 million a year.
The State Government continues to say there will be no forced redundancies and no forced relocations.
Minister for Corrections Anoulack Chanthivong has also been quoted as saying the impact on Goulburn’s economy will be “minimal”.
“This is not going to have a great impact on the local economy at all, because nobody’s being forced to take a redundancy or being forced to relocate,” he has been quoted as saying.
He said Thursday’s rally had been based on “mistruths and misinformation” and accused Member for Goulburn, Wendy Tuckerman, of drumming the rally up as part of a “political scaremongering campaign”.
Chair of the Goulburn Prison Officers Vocational Branch (POVB) Mick Holmes, said the Goulburn Correctional Centre had an “outstanding” reputation and correctional officers had served the facility with dedication, professionalism and resilience for 140 years.
“We are simply asking to keep the jobs in the community we love,” he told Thursday’s rally.
Goulburn-Mulwaree mayor Nina Dillon urged the community to stand together.
“We (the Council) are right behind you,” she said.
“We will do our best to turn this decision around,” she said.
Mayor Dillon said there was no logical reason for the Government’s decision.
“All the decisions I’ve heard just don’t stack up,” she said.
Mayor Dillon said a number of other older prison across NSW were still in use – including Long Bay (Sydney), Bathurst and Coma – and the best outcome would be to keep Goulburn as an operational prison.
She told the rally that she felt hopeful – with discussion and community pressure – that the decision to effectively close Goulburn Gaol could be reversed.
“Let’s keep fighting,” she told the crowd.
Member for Goulburn Wendy Tuckerman said correctional officers did a “tremendous” job and should be respected.
She described the decision to close the four Victorian-era wings at Goulburn as “outrageous”.
“You don’t make a decision and then consult for six months,” she said.
“That’s not best practice.”
She said Goulburn was part of a correctional system currently under pressure and the Coalition was committed to keeping it open.
Public Services Association (PSA) General Secretary, Stewart Little, said the correctional centre was part of Goulburn’s DNA.
He described the decision to close four wings at Goulburn as “ludicrous” at a time when prisoner numbers were increasing and gave his “unequivocal commitment” that Goulburn correctional officers would have the support of PSA members across the state.
“You have been badly let down by a lack of planning and foresight,” he told them at Thursday’s rally.
He said the NSW Government should have had a long-term plan in for the Goulburn Correctional Facility.
“We will not take this decision without a fight,” he said.
President of Goulburn’s Chamber of Commerce, Josh Matthews, said Goulburn business owners were “100 per cent” behind local correctional officers and their fight to keep the correctional centre open.
He said a closure would cost other jobs and would “really hurt the community” and encouraged local correctional officers to “keep fighting”.
“We are here to support you in whatever way possible,” he said.
Rod Roberts MLC described the decision as “absolutely wrong”.
He said he had worked with local correctional officers for may years in his role in the police force and found them both professional and dedicated.
Mr Roberts said the closure wasn’t just about bricks and mortar.
“This is about people,” he said.
Mr Roberts said the Goulburn Correctional Centre was an integral part of the local community and added that stability within the sector was essential for attracting new correctional officers at a time when they were needed.
Speaking to The Southern Wire after Thursday’s rally, former Goulburn-Mulwaree Mayor Bob Kirk said the community had grown up with the gaol and it was the “perfect place” to expand operations.
He said he hadn’t heard a legitimate reason for closing the Victorian-era wings beyond “balancing budgets”.
The former Mayor questioned why impact statements were required for State Significant Developments (SSDs) – but no impact statement had been carried out for the closure of the Goulburn Correctional Centre, despite its closure essentially being of state significance.
He added that the decision would also be disruptive to inmates and would cause “rifts and frustrations”.
Current Deputy Mayor Caitlin Fabric agreed that correctional centre was part of the town’s fabric.
She said as the fourth largest employer in the Goulburn region, there wouldn’t be a ‘pocket’ in the region impacted by its closure.
She said the families of inmates also added to the regional economy – even if they didn’t live in the Goulburn area.
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