John Welch, Secretary of the WA Prison Officers Union
There was overwhelming support at the launch of our Respect the Risk campaign on Tuesday.
Not only were the media were interested in our side of the story, but I addressed a room filled with people from far and wide including the including Simone McGurk from UnionsWA, Toni Walkington from the CPSU/CSA, Marc Newhouse from The Deaths in Custody Watch Committee and Rosemary Hudson Millar of the Uniting Church.
And the campaign website and facebook page received hundreds of visits and encouraging comments, just hours after the campaign launched.
It served to reinforce the determination of the WA Prison Officers Union – that now is the right time for Prison Officers to be speaking out about how WA’s prisons are at breaking point.
It’s unfortunate that the devastating earthquake in Kalgoolie meant that media resources were stretched on Tuesday – but hopefully some of your saw our story televised on Golden West Network that night.
You can also read the story from ABC 720 Perth online here
Sunday Times readers can also look forward to reading a piece about Respect the Risk this weekend if you didn’t already read the story in The West on the 20th.
Please, get behind us and help to ensure we get a commitment from government to improve WA’s prisons and the working conditions of Prison Officers. Sign the pledge today.
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