What: Stop work rally today (200+ Correctional Officers)
When: 12:30pm, Wednesday 5 November 2025
Where: 229 Henley Beach Road, Torrensville SA 5031 (Tom Koutsantonis’ electorate office)
Union Demands Urgent Action After 3rd Vicious Prison Assault
The union representing South Australian Correctional Officers has condemned a third violent assault inside a state prison - this time at Yatala Labour Prison - saying chronic under-resourcing, dangerously low pay, and collapsing morale have pushed the system to breaking point.
At 11.45am yesterday a prisoner was king hit into unconsciousness in the engineering workshop lunch room leading to a large loss of blood.
At around 11am Sunday another brutal attack occurred inside Yatala’s Mirnu Unit 1, a facility originally designed for rehabilitation programs. Nine prisoners reportedly attacked a single inmate in a sustained and savage assault that continued even after the victim lost consciousness.
And on Friday the 24th a female Corrections Officer was hospitalised and later diagnosed with a broken hand after being attacked by a metal pole wielding prisoner.
The Corrections Officer was injured while disarming the prisoner who had bashed another prisoner - that prisoner was later admitted to hospital with life threatening injuries to the head and neck, and an almost severed finger.
Public Service Association General Secretary Charlotte Watson said the attack is the latest in a disturbing series of violent incidents that reveal a system in crisis.
“In just over a fortnight we’ve seen three vicious assaults - one at Adelaide Women’s Prison that left a Correctional Officer in hospital, a mass attack at Yatala on Sunday, and yesterday another bloody incident at the same prison,” Ms Watson said.
“When prisons are chronically understaffed, officers exhausted, and morale collapsing, violence becomes inevitable.
“Our members are paying the price for government neglect.”
South Australian Correctional Officers are now the lowest-paid in the nation, starting on salaries as low as $58,000, despite performing one of the most dangerous and demanding jobs in the public service.
“You can’t run a safe prison system on poverty wages,” Ms Watson said.
“Low pay means we can’t attract or keep enough staff. That leads to fatigue, thin staffing, and unsafe conditions for everyone inside. Officers are being asked to do the impossible - and it’s only a matter of time before someone is killed.”
The PSA is demanding an urgent review of staffing models, increased funding for prison safety, and a fair wage offer that properly recognises the dangerous and complex work of Correctional Officers.
“If the government wants safer prisons, it needs to start by valuing the people who keep them running,” Ms Watson said.
“Until that happens, violence like this will continue - and both officers and inmates will remain at risk.”
Hundreds of PSA members are expected to attend today’s rally, including more than half from Correctional Services.
Speakers will include PSA Vice-President Craig Bates, a sworn and serving SA Correctional Officer, and Correctional Officers from across the state.
“Our members’ lives are on the line every day they go to work,” Ms Watson said.
“They deserve respect. They deserve safety. And they deserve fair pay.”
MEDIA CONTACT: Tim Brunero 0405 285 547