Premier Chris Minns acknowledged the PSA’s long campaign succeeded in bringing Parklea Gaol back to public management. Speaking at a press conference announcing the handback, Mr Minns said “the PSA has been consistent on this matter for many, many years”.

Acknowledging it was a Labor Party decision to privatise the gaol, in Sydney’s north-western suburbs, Mr Minns singled out the PSA for its role in the decision.

“They’ve argued for over a decade that the best way of ensuring the public gets value for money for correctional services, and we’re focusing on rehabilitation services and public safety, is to bring these services into public hands,” said the Premier.

On 2 March 2025, the State Government announced Corrective Services NSW (CSNSW) would operate Parklea Correctional Centre from October 2026. This follows the decision last year to move the operation of Junee Correctional Centre from a private operator to CSNSW. Junee has been in public hands since 1 April 2025.

Speaking at the press conference outside Parklea, PSA General Secretary Stewart Little said the union “absolutely applauds this decision”.

He acknowledged the Minns Government listened to the PSA when it decided to move the two prisons into public hands.

“Corrective services is an integral part of the criminal justice system,” he said. “It’s no different to the police or the courts; it plays a pivotal role in that system.

“You would not countenance for a moment privatising the police or the courts. Why on earth would we do that to a correctional centre?”

Mr Little said the Parklea decision is good news for the community and is certainly good news for the union’s members who work in the prison. They will be better paid and work in safer conditions once they are employed in the state-wide corrections system.

“It’s good news for the taxpayer, who will no longer be propping up outsourcing giants such as Utah-based Management and Training Corporation (MTC) that operate to benefit overseas shareholders rather than the people of NSW,” he said.

“The PSA will always campaign against the sell-offs that have done so much damage to our state. We will continue to fight for the return to government control of the services privatised since the late 1980s and sped up in the reckless frenzy of sell-offs under the O’Farrell, Baird, Berejiklian and Perrottet governments.

“For years we have been telling the state that privatisation hurts everyone. We are glad we have a government that is listening to us.”