Southern Queensland Correctional Centre transition

Centre Overview

The Southern Queensland Correctional Centre (SQCC) opened in January 2012 near Gatton, west of Brisbane and Serco was awarded the contract to operate the prison. In 2018 the centre was reclassified as a women’s facility under Operation Elevate – a program designed to solve chronic overcrowding and improve conditions and outcomes for women in custody.

With 300 beds – 104 secure and 196 residential, SQCC provides secure placement accommodation for sentenced and remand women that are classified as high or low security.

Operation Certitude

On 26 March 2019 the government announced its decision to transition Queensland’s only two privately operated prisons, Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre (AGCC) and SQCC to public operations.

The AGCC transition occurred on 1 July 2020 and SQCC transitioned successfully on 1 July 2021. The completion of Operation Certitude now means all Queensland prisons are today publicly operated by QCS.

Importantly, Operation Certitude delivered the seamless transition of both centres from private to public control while ensuring the safety of prisoners, officers and the community.

SQCC information for the community

Under QCS operation, SQCC provides a safer custodial space for all our officers, the women, visitors and the broader community. Across our state, QCS is proud to be an employer of choice for about 5,500 Queenslanders and to contract local suppliers and service providers.

In partnership with other key criminal justice agencies, QCS is committed to its critical role in ensuring community safety and crime prevention.

For information about the visits process at SQCC, please visit the SCQQ visits page. For personal booking or visits enquiries please phone the Visitors Centre on (07) 5466 6890.