First building complete in $241M expansion of Capricornia

The first building of the Capricornia Correctional Centre expansion was officially opened yesterday in Rockhampton by Deputy Commissioner Organisational Capability, James Koulouris and Corrective Services Minister Mark Ryan MP.

The X8 block is a services building that is part of the ongoing Capricornia Correctional Centre expansion and is the first of 13 buildings that are part of the works.

“X8 block will house state-of-the-art air conditioning plant services to support the upgraded and expanded facilities at the centre,” Deputy Commissioner Koulouris said.

“This building is crucial to the delivery of services for the upcoming secure and residential buildings that are still under construction.”

“The expansion almost doubles the capacity of the centre, and the rest of the construction work is due to be completed by 2021.”

The completion of X8 block comes 16 months after the sod was turned on the works at the centre in June 2018.

The high-security centre currently includes 410 cells. An initial $200 million funding package was allocated to QCS in 2017 to expand Capricornia, with 348 cells, including up to 398 beds.

An additional $41 million funding boost was delivered in the 2018 budget to deliver a further 84 cells and 84 beds.

The first operational cell blocks are set to come online in 2020, and recruitment is a top priority for the centre, which is looking to fill over 200 new jobs with a range of roles available.

The majority of the new positions will be custodial officers, but QCS is also recruiting education officers, cultural liaison officers, counsellors, psychologists, and program delivery officers.

Deputy Commissioner Koulouris praised the work of Corrective Services officers and also encouraged applicants to take a look inside to see if they were up to the challenge of a career in corrections.

“Our dedicated officers drive behavioural change in prisoners, protect the community and change lives,” Deputy Commissioner Koulouris said.

“We’re looking for passionate people from all walks of life that are driven and want to help us to prevent crime and keep Queenslanders safe.”

Construction is due to be completed by 2021, but recruitment has already commenced for these positions.

For more information, visit /careers/. All Queensland Government positions are advertised on SmartJobs.qld.gov.au.