Shadow Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Steve Edgington, has condemned inaction from the Gunner Government, which ignored a report warning of serious security lapses, five months before the May 2020 riot which caused tens of millions of dollars’ worth of damage to the Darwin Correctional Centre.
“This riot was completely avoidable. Corrections was basically handed a blue print of gaps in security, which government chose to ignore.
“This was the most dangerous and destructive riot in the Territory’s history. Buildings were burned and staff threatened, when 20 prisoners escaped from their cells and laid siege to the Darwin Correctional Centre.
“The risk assessment, which was requested by Darwin Correctional Centre and the NT Prison Officers Association, was a masterplan of how to break out – and that’s exactly what those prisoners did.
“The blame for this riot falls squarely at the feet of the government and now Territorians are left with a damage bill that could be as high as $40 million because of government inaction,” said Mr Edgington.