Thousands of prison officers across New South Wales have been ordered to return to work after walking off the job over the sentence handed to an inmate who bashed four guards at Cessnock Correctional Complex. The Industrial Relations Commission held an urgent hearing on Thursday and ordered more than 5,000 correctional services employees to cease industrial action by 6am on Friday. Union members are also barred from organizing further strike action related to the sentencing.
The strike stemmed from a three-year community corrections order handed to Cameron Welsh, 26, in Cessnock Local Court on Wednesday. Welsh was convicted of four counts of assaulting a law enforcement officer and inflicting actual bodily harm, as well as one count of stalking and intimidating a prison guard. The community order was imposed instead of full-time jail, a decision that Public Service Association general secretary Stewart Little said left members appalled.
Welsh has a history of violence, including a 2021 arrest for bashing two men with a baseball bat. He was given a six-year sentence in 2023 with a non-parole period of three years, but parole was revoked three months after his release for allegedly threatening a relative. Following the February attacks at Cessnock, he was moved to Goulburn's Supermax prison, where he remains.
Assistant Commissioner Craig Smith told the commission the strike had a catastrophic effect, with some correctional centres operating with only six staff instead of the usual 50 to 60. He said all inmates were placed into immediate lockdown, which could provoke unrest, and that staff shortages meant responses to self-harm incidents were compromised. Inmate transport officers also joined the strike, preventing court appearances for inmates.
Justice Minister Anoulack Chanthivong welcomed the order to resume work and announced that Corrective Services NSW would seek an appeal of Welsh's sentence. He said the government values correctional officers and their safety, and that facilities remained secure during the strike with reduced staff.
