Let me be clear: Corrections Commissioner Matthew Varley has my full support.
I will not be pressured into United Workers Union secretary Erina Early's demands, including backing away from critical legislative changes designed to support the workforce.
Erina Early, who is of course the former NT Labor President and a mouthpiece for Territory Labor, is now attempting to strong-arm this government into abandoning necessary reforms and removing leadership she doesn't like.
That will not happen.
My focus remains on supporting and strengthening the workforce, not engaging in reckless fear campaigns.
Her claims that Commissioner Varley is misleading officers are false.
So is her suggestion that he doesn't respect the risks Correctional Officers face every day.
This is nothing more than an irresponsible attempt to spread misinformation, create fear, and undermine confidence at a time when officers need stability and certainty.
The reality is we have record numbers of prisoners, and recruitment has not kept pace.
Since the CLP came to government, Erina Early has been particularly vocal in publicly demanding more staff, and now she's standing in the way of a solution that delivers exactly that.
She can't have it both ways.
On one hand she says she wants more officers, on the other she opposes the very measures that would give them that.
Let's not forget the previous Labor government's so-called 'solution' was to release prisoners early because it didn't want to invest in appropriate infrastructure or staffing.
That's the difference between Labor and the CLP.
We are delivering real solutions to support the workforce and ensure community safety.
This kind of fearmongering does nothing to support our hardworking corrections staff.
My priority is ensuring their safety and welfare and getting prisoners out of police watch houses.
That's what I'm focused on, and that's exactly what we're delivering.
