Thursday, 19 June 2025

 Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice) (12:21): I rise today to celebrate and acknowledge National Corrections Day, which was held last month. It is an important day that recognises the hard work and commitment of our corrections staff that are on the front line every day, keeping us safe. Credit where it is due: Corrective Services NSW introduced this day eight years ago. It was such a success that it is now celebrated across the nation. Our corrections staff and their families deserve a special day that acknowledges the hard work they do in protecting our community. Not only do they provide a safe and secure prison environment, they also support people to turn their lives around, which makes us all safer. The theme for this year’s National Corrections Day was ‘Embracing diversity’. That is about acknowledging the important mix of dynamic and diverse roles that make up Corrections Victoria. This includes prison officers, community corrections officers, post-sentence workers, programs and service workers, clinicians and health staff. Morning teas and barbecues were held in corrections facilities across the state to celebrate the staff’s efforts, and to mark the occasion our state’s prisons were lit up in blue. This served as a visual reminder that National Corrections Day is all about recognising our frontline corrections staff. As I have said before in this place, working in corrections can be a rewarding career where you get a chance to make a real difference. We are currently recruiting as we ramp up the system, so to anyone listening that is interested in new career opportunities, I encourage you to apply. And to the thousands of staff who currently work across the state’s corrections system, I want to say a big thankyou.