Staff ‘gutted’ with shock news of prison closure

An employee from the facility’s Victorian Public Service team, who wishes to remain anonymous, said she was immediately overcome by sadness, followed by disbelief and shock.

“There had been rumours swirling for months, but we thought Beechworth would have closed before Dhurringile,” the employee, who has worked there for more than seven years, said.

“It’s been 24 hours, and it still all feels a bit surreal.”

She said she felt lucky to come from a double-income family, so even though losing her job would deliver a financial blow, she would survive if she could secure new employment in the months following the closure.

Not everyone is in her position, however.

“There are couples out here who are both working at the prison, so there are families who are going to lose both incomes simultaneously,” she said.

Despite Victorian Corrections Minister Enver Erdogan promising staff would be supported during the transition and provided opportunities to take up new roles at other correctional facilities, Dhurringile being a regional facility would mean many would have to uproot their families to move locations.

While the employee and her team had not yet been offered redundancy packages, she believed that was to come.

She said relocating her young family was not an option for her and even if it was, it would be harder to place VPS staff into new roles at other locations than it would custodial staff.

“The closest prison is Beechworth and it’s a one-and-a-half-hour drive away; it’s not viable,” the employee said.

“The custodial staff could onboard and join the roster at any other prison location if they choose to relocate, but we can only be placed where there’s job vacancies currently.

“It’s not really ideal. I’d imagine I’ll end up finding employment outside of Corrections Victoria.”

State Member for Northern Victoria Rikkie-Lee Tyrrell said the Victorian Government’s handling of the closure of Dhurringile Prison was “disgraceful”, citing the lack of any consultation with management or staff on details of the plan.

“The closure of Dhurringile Prison will see the loss of 160 jobs in the region and that staff had no prior knowledge they were losing their jobs until informed today (Wednesday) is disgraceful,” Mrs Tyrrell said.

“We now have 160 people suddenly facing unemployment within weeks, without any warning or consultation.”

Mrs Tyrrell said the government needed to ensure prison staff were provided adequate financial and career support immediately and in the future.

However, the saddened employee and her team are losing more than just an income. She lamented that not everyone was lucky enough to be employed in an occupation they loved.

“We love the job, we love the staff, and we love the prison,” she said.

“My team and I are all gutted to be leaving this place.”