Community spirit and prisoner rehabilitation on display at Warwick Work Camp

Corrective Services Minister Jo-Ann Miller has today visited the Warwick Work Camp and praised the way it has evolved into an integral part of the local community since its inception 20 years ago.

Minister Miller today met work camp members, staff and Community Advisory Committee members at the Warwick Showgrounds before visiting the Warwick Historical Society Museum, Warwick Golf Club and St Vincent de Paul Warehouse.

The low security prisoners involved in the work camp perform cleaning and maintenance duties at the museum and golf club, sort clothing and furniture for Vinnies, and provide invaluable voluntary work for all the big events at the showgrounds.

“The Warwick Women’s Work Camp, like the other 12 work camps around the state, is one of the real success stories of our modern corrective services system,” Minister Miller said.

“The program provides regional communities with a valuable source of labour, while also providing prisoners with an opportunity to make reparation to communities and gain valuable skills.

“It is inspiring to hear stories about how a number of women who have been through the work camp here have gone on to volunteer for organisations in their own community when released on parole because they benefited so much from the experience.

“The rehabilitative aspect of the work camps should never be underestimated, providing offenders with skills they can utilise in the workforce and their personal lives when reintegrating back into the community.”

The work camp concept has been wholeheartedly embraced by the Warwick community, having started as a part-time venture before being granted fulltime status two years ago.

Each work camp has a Community Advisory Committee (CAC) that is made up of local residents, community service sponsors and local council representatives. It is the role of these committees consider project applications and determine when and where work in their communities is to be performed. A yearly Community Service Supervisors Workshop is also conducted.

“The fact that 70 to 80 members of the community regularly attend these workshops is a reflection of the interest in the program, and the value of the work that it provides,” Minister Miller said.

With volunteers becoming increasingly difficult to find, the women’s work camp members play an integral role in the staging of some of the city’s largest events, including the Warwick Show, Warwick Gold Cup and Rodeo, Warwick Horse Trials, Killarney Show and Leyburn Sprints.

The rodeo is one of the biggest horse events in the world and work camp members help with manual labour work around the showgrounds by painting, mowing, gardening and cleaning. During the event the women prepare cakes, slices and sandwiches.

The women work alongside other community volunteers under the supervision of approved community supervisors and Corrective Services staff.

“I am told that most of the women really enjoy getting to work alongside open, honest country folk and achieving something through hard work,” Minister Miller said. “The benefits are there for all to see.”

In total, the Work Camp Program injects around $3 million a year of community work into regional Queensland. The Warwick Women’s Work Camp provided 14,763 hours of community work valued at $249,051 in the last financial year (2014-15).

[ENDS] September 1

Media contact: Brent Davidson (in Warwick) 0438 696 185