NT prison work camp proposed for rural university research station near Katherine

Australia Broadcast Center

06-05-2025

The Northern Territory government is in negotiations with Charles Darwin University (CDU) to open a prison work camp at a research farm north of the town of Katherine.
Corrections Minister Gerard Maley said if the negotiations are successful, the work camp could be open at the rural university location later this year.
Mr Maley said the plan was for the facility to be used for rehabilitation programs.
Gerard Maley says there's funding in the upcoming NT budget dedicated to getting the work camp up and running.
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ABC News: James Elton
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"Some of those boot camp and work camp prisoners will be able to go … learn some everyday skills that territorians have to make a better life,"
he said.
The work camp was promised by the Country Liberal Party (CLP) prior to the 2024 NT election, but no location had been publicly identified until today.
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Three men address the media.
The NT government has revealed plans to permanently transfer children from Alice Springs youth detention to Darwin as part of an "emergency response" aimed at rolling out a thousand new prison beds over the next four years.
Mr Maley said the government "had a proposal with CDU now about what that will look like".
"To be able to house low and open restricted prisoners there, and offer that Sentenced to a Skill program, using the CDU research farm as a facility to offer that program," he said.
When asked if Katherine residents had been consulted over the plan, Mr Maley said the plan "is going to be publicised, it has been out there in the community".
The minister said there was money in the upcoming NT budget to "get that up and running".
CDU Vice-Chancellor and President Scott Bowman said the university was "proud of the work we currently do with the Department of Corrections, delivering education and training in all Northern Territory facilities".
"We have been approached about this possibility," he said.
Record budget for prison operations
The government also flagged a record $495 million spend on the NT's overloaded corrections system in its May 13 budget, most of which would be used for operational purposes.
The territory continues to see record numbers of people being incarcerated, with
Alecia Brimson says the attrition rate in the NT's corrections industry was still high.
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Acting Corrections Commissioner Alecia Brimson said the prison population was currently at 2,822.
"There's no question that that number places strain on the organisation, right across all of our centres," she said.
Mr Maley said the proposed new work camp would alleviate the strain "because we'd be able to spread the prison population not only in Holtze [prison] in Darwin and in Alice Springs, but into Katherine".
In the past 12 months, the Northern Territory has recruited 157 correctional officers, however 59 have left.
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ABC News: Grace Atta
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Despite the workforce strain, Ms Brimson said they believed an ongoing recruitment push would allow them to properly staff the new work camp.
However, she also said the attrition rate in the sector was huge: in the past 12 months, 157 correctional officers have been recruited but 59 have left — 30 of whom were from Alice Springs.
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Around 50 prison officers have marched to parliament to protest against the NT government's plan to hire private contractors within its corrections system.
United Workers Union NT secretary Erina Early said in a statement that a Katherine work camp would be welcomed by officers but that many "are in doubt how the work camp will be staffed".
"Officers are being kept on the dark about their future employment and direction of corrections,"
she said.
"Officers continue to put their lives at risk and are expected to work unsafe hours with significantly overcrowded facilities all for a Department who does not value them or respect [what] they are exposed to every day."